Evicted in 2011 after Ramchandra Building was declared dangerous, 35 families allege landlord inaction, while they continue to pay rent under pagadi system across city
The building was declared unsafe after a major portion gave way
Fifteen years after being forced to vacate their homes, tenants of Ramchandra Building, opposite GT Hospital in South Mumbai, say they are still battling official apathy, bureaucratic delays, and what they allege is deliberate inaction by their landlord, even as parts of the structure continue to collapse.
The building was declared unsafe in 2011 after a major portion gave way, prompting authorities to immediately evacuate residents. However, no rehabilitation plan, transit accommodation, or rent compensation was provided. “Since then, 35 families have been living in rented homes, bearing the financial and emotional burden of displacement for the last 15 years,” said Jagdeep Sambhwani, secretary of the dilapidated structure.
Despite the structure being categorised as dangerous, residents allege the landlord continues to collect pagadi from them. “Even though we have not been able to occupy our homes since 2011, the landlord has been collecting pagadi from all of us. Including cess, it comes to around Rs 10,000 per year. Ideally, pagadi and cess can be collected only if the premises are occupied. But neither are we living there, nor has the landlord maintained, repaired, or redeveloped the building,” said Haresh Purohit, treasurer of the dilapidated structure.
Ramchandra Building near GT Hospital, Fort. Pics/Ashish Raje
In October 2023, the Bombay High Court directed both the landlord and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to submit a concrete redevelopment plan within four months. “That deadline expired in February 2024. No proposal has been submitted so far, nor has any clear timeline been shared,” Sambhwani said.
‘Landlord misled us’
Explaining what exactly happened, Sambhwani told mid-day, “Back in 2012, when we had approached the then landlord, mother of the current landlord, we did not get any response. We waited for seven years and finally filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court in 2019. During the hearings, the current landlord appeared, as his mother had passed away, and sought the court’s permission to have his name added to the property card. He obtained NOCs from the six other shareholders and also obtained our consent. Since our only aim was redevelopment, we agreed and signed an MoU in August 2023. He also told the court he would redevelop the building under Section 33(7), following which permission was granted.”
“However, since the court’s order in October 2023 directing both the landlord and MHADA to act, there has been no communication till date,” added Sambhwani.
Purohit said tenants continue paying pagadi out of fear of losing their tenancy rights. “For 15 years, we have been paying high rents across the city and also paying pagadi. We are scared that if we stop paying, the landlord will take over our homes. It is a double financial burden despite having houses we cannot occupy. In these years, we have already lost 14 residents during this long fight,” he said.
Repeated attempts by mid-day to contact landlord Daleep Jatwani were unsuccessful. His manager, Anil Wadhwa, said he would try to connect, but no response was received till the time of press.
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