Outrage in Santacruz’s Khotwadi: Builder denying transit rent for 6 years, erected 50 illegal flats

Despite promises of redevelopment the residents of Santacruzrsquos Khotwadi are stuck in dire circumstances The builder Transcon Iconic Pvt Ltd previously known as Sanjay Construction and Finance Pvt Ltd has failed to provide rent for homes and commercial spaces for the last six years informs a Khotwadi resident Kunal Gupta 35 He is currently residing in Virar while he awaits the allotment of his house in the redeveloped societyThe project spearheaded by Aditya Kedia and Kirti Kedia of Transcon Developers aimed to uplift the living standards of residents through modernisation and revitalisation efforts Gupta tells MiddayHowever the prolonged delay in providing compensation has left many families in financial straits with no respite in sightLike Gupta several residents have been residing in different parts of the city as they are yet to be allotted housing in Sai Durga Cooperative Housing Society Not only this they have not received the due rent for their homes and commercial spaces for the past six yearsHow the community crisis unfolded2005 Developer Transcon Iconic proposed a slum redevelopment program for Khotwadi situated near Milan International Hotel Santacruz West2011 The slum was registered under Sai Durga SRA CHS Ltd and the developers received an allowance to redevelop it The directors of the company include Aditya Kedia Kiriti Kedia Rishi Todi and Irfan SheikhWhen this newspaper reached out to developer Aditya Kedia he disassociated himself from the builder company by quoting ldquoI am no longer a part of this project since 2023rdquo2016 Resident Shrikant Morye 36 tells Midday ldquoIn 2016 Kedia asked us to vacate the plot by promising that he would start the redevelopment and pay us rentrdquo Following this 250 slum dwellers agreed to the development of a 300 sq ft room in a span of 2 years2018 The entire plot was vacated by the members of the society in 2018 However promises made by the developers remain unfulfilled2024 For the past six years leading up to 2024 the slum members have been deprived of their transit rent which now amounts to Rs 16 crore In response Satish Lokhande the CEO of the SRA Authority has blacklisted 150 SRA developers in Mumbai including Transcon Iconica which was added to the list in 2022Also Read Why is it so tough to find rental accommodation in MumbaiBureaucracy hand in glove with developersResident Sachin Naik 39 who currently resides in Vile Parle tells Midday ldquoThough the slum redevelopment of the Khotwadi is near completion the construction of the rear building remains incomplete Not only this the developer has constructed smaller 269 sq ft rooms in Wings ldquoA to Frdquo as opposed to the promised figure of 300 sq ftrdquoAdditionally the developers have also illegally constructed 50 more houses on the land without obtaining the consent of the residents adds NaikDisappointed with false claims several complaints regarding various irregularities like inordinate delay in the construction of rehab buildings nonpayment of rent and unauthorised construction work beyond approval in the building were lodged by complainants Sheri Pradeep Tiwari Shri Pradeep Laxman Singh Thakur and advocate Himanshu Satija They have been constantly pursuing SRA and various offices at the government level to take action against the developersSeveral tenants reached out to Lokhande for illegal construction In response the SRA office had called for an explanation from the developers from time to time Additionally a lsquoStop Work Noticersquo was issued to the developers by the Slum Rehabilitation AuthorityThe developers had been informed about the illegal construction for the 2nd and 3rd floor of the sale wing and were directed to pull back the unauthorised work Despite the notice the developer failed to restore the property informs Gupta Residents are of the opinion that bureaucracy has been siding with the developersldquoDespite multiple complaints nothing changed CEO Lokhande is working in the developerrsquos favourrdquo said Morye in a telephonic conversation The residents have approached 5060 officials at SRA but have received no redressal for their issues At the time of publishing this story this newspaper reached out to the CEO of SRA via telephone and email but received no responseHowever SRA has granted permission to prosecute the developer under the Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practices Legislation MRTP Act 1966 by lodging an FIR against them for noncompliance with instructions given in the notice as per Pratap Mirchandani SRAAdditionally SRA has approved informing Designated Officer and Executive Engineer BMC to initiate demolition of the illegal construction according to the MRTP letter to Designation Officer HW WardAlso Read Mumbai housing dilemma To buy or rent Expert advice insideNo respite in sightThe hearing on the case has been going on for the last eight months Nonpayment of transit rent to slum members continues Additionally several corruption complaints remain pending with no final orders issued yet informs GuptaAmidst the ongoing hearing and issuance of stopwork notices the SRA Authority has granted permission for the conversion of a 36flat wing in the rehab building into a sales shop Over the past month members have vehemently opposed this illegal action by the developerHowever the developer has resorted to seeking assistance from Santacruz police to suppress the voices of the impoverished slum dwellers informs Morye False complaints have been filed against members who are opposing the illegal acts of the developer and the SRA Authority prompting swift action by the policeResidents express deep concern over the lack of response from Transcon Developers regarding their outstanding rent payments Despite numerous attempts to communicate with the developers their pleas have fallen on deaf ears Moreover there have been reports of intimidation tactics employed by the builders representatives adding to the residents distressPeople are really in pain as the builder has not given them rent for their homes and commercial spaces for the past six years This situation has put our lives at stake We trusted the promises made by Transcon Developers but now we are left struggling to make ends meet shares a resident who wished to remain anonymousThe plight of Khotwadi residents highlights the urgent need for accountability and transparency in redevelopment projects The community urges Transcon Developers to fulfil their obligations promptly and provide the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition for all residents Residents are also appealing to the government for immediate action and assistance in resolving this matter and safeguarding their rightsAlso Read Mumbai Builder ignores MahaRERA order rents flat to 3rd party