Worli gaothan residents fume over 'slum' status attached to locality by SRA

From left Kenneth Mendonca Romeo Kinny Samir Netto Stanislaus DSouza Rita Galbao and Sheldon CoutinhoWhile it was a characteristically warm December for the rest of Mumbai a notice that arrived on December 18 2017 addressed to the East Indian Catholic Owners Association froze the blood in the veins of the residents of the Worli gaothan The notice from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority SRA cited that the coveted pocket near Worli Sea Face is being targeted for a slum redevelopment project Residents are fuming at this recently conferred slum statusWe are not slum dwellers We East Indians of the gaothan along with the Kolis are the original inhabitants of Mumbai We do not want to be rehoused in SRA buildings We will be shortchanged of space our culture will vanish and we are not slum dwellers so why should we be classified as such said the miffed residentsSachin Kinny the Patil or head of the village asked angrily Why are some so adamant on calling this a slum We are going to fight this This is a game plan to usurp our land but we are going to fight hard to see it is not takenA notice board in the gaothan in 2015 when a similar threat had arisen displays the residents opposition to the slum tagCM says waitThe villagers are objecting to being shortchanged for space in the project Here homes have two storeys and many are sprawling even by the most generous standards Some of us have homes as big as 1000 or 2000 sq ft If this is converted to an SRA tower each one of us will get around 300 sq ft Is that fair they asked in anguished tonesWe are fifth generation of families living here said Samir Netto of the East Indian Catholic Owners Association and at the forefront of the fight against the SRA development When we heard about the SRA project some of us met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 8 to present our concerns Rashmi Vichare another resident said The CMs assurance was to wait for a new policy for gaothans which will be out in FebruarySachin KinnyNot encroachersNetto alleged that slums and shanties have come up on the fringes of the gaothan and these are the encroachers not us Romeo Kinny a resident said This gaothan has 457 houses and 230 owners Some owners have two to three homes We have lived here for more than 100 years Now because of its proximity to the Sea Link and accessibility our gaothan is being eyed A resident Sheldon Coutinho says Nobody is against development but it needs to be planned fair and organized we do not want SRA schemes hereHearings onThe villagers say hearings are continuing with SRA a fact confirmed by SRA Chief Executive Officer CEO Deepak Kapoor Recently some residents had met me to air their reservations about the SRA project This entire area is known as Worli koliwada A number of hearings are going on These are quasijudicial hearings I have heard both sides The next date for the hearing has been fixed shortly Locals say that an SRA notice cites a date for the next hearing as January 20 Till then homes are filled with worry for residents Stanislaus DSouza 76 who owns property of 2500 and 3000 sq ft each in the area is wary and skeptical of new developments which often means stalled projects