When officials arrive to cut power supply to one of 19 dilapidated buildings, residents converge and force them to turn back; Terming the structure unsafe, the officials claimed they were acting on orders from Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA)
Haaji Noorani building, which was earmarked for demolition as part of the Elphinstone Road bridge redevelopment project. FILE PICS/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
Tensions escalated on Monday morning at the Haaji Noorani building near Elphinstone bridge in Parel as officials from the electrical wing of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) reached the spot to disconnect the building’s electricity supply. Terming the structure unsafe, the officials claimed they were acting on orders from Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
“We received notice from the Mumbai Building Repairs & Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) wing of MHADA on June 20 this year, and accordingly, we sent our officials to act on the same. This notice has no connection with the redevelopment of the Elphinstone bridge. The notice [a copy of which is in mid-day’s possession] states that, as per the structural audit report submitted by PG Yevlekar on March 29 this year to the MBRRB, the building has been issued a C1 category notice which states that it can collapse at any moment and thus needs to be vacated on an immediate basis and also should be demolished.
Haaji Noorani building, which was earmarked for demolition as part of the Elphinstone Road bridge redevelopment project, in Parel. FILE PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
Due to this, the notice directs our department to cut the electricity and water supply of this building,” BEST spokesperson Sudas Sawant told mid-day. Earlier this year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, following a wave of protests from tenants of cessed buildings near the bridge that are facing demolition for the connector’s redevelopment, had clearly stated that no action — including eviction or disconnection of utilities — would be taken until a formal redevelopment policy or decision was arrived at regarding the buildings.
Despite this assurance, Monday’s incident has deepened fears among the residents that authorities are attempting to coerce them into vacating their premises prematurely. “Are MHADA, MBRRB and BEST above the directions of the chief minister? Everyone in the city knows what the CM announced. Then how did MHADA and MBRRB dare to send such a notice, and how were officials sent to cut the electricity supply?” questioned Munaf Thakur, secretary of the building.
Electric meters on the building premises, which BEST officials checked
Mayur Loke, another resident of this building, said, “We were having tea at a restaurant beside our building when we saw a few men enter the premises and gaze at the meter boxes. We immediately went there and when we asked them who they were. They replied that they had come to cut our electric supply. They were not even wearing ID cards, though they had a notice from their department. We don’t know if they were genuine.”
‘Why this harassment?’
Rabiya Thakur, another resident, added, “What if some of the residents of the building were not present and didn’t know about the officials’ visit? It was only because we retaliated strongly that they did not cut the electricity and water supply. When the chief minister has clearly directed that no actions should be taken, why are other authorities harassing us like this?
Haaji Noorani residents Rabiya Thakur, Mayur Loke, and Shweta Gurav. PICS/RITIKA GONDHALEKAR
This is clearly an attempt to force us to vacate the houses by taking away basic necessities. Now we are in constant fear that tomorrow some other department will come and directly start demolishing our building.” Another resident of the same building, Shweta Gurav, mentioned that the building houses many senior citizens and ill people, and such harassment is quite unmanageable for them.
‘Aren’t we humans?’
“At the peak of the monsoon season, if the officials harass us like this, how will old people like us help ourselves? I cannot even come down one floor properly because of my knee pain. But today it became mandatory for all of us to come down and fight for our rights. Are we not humans? What kind of treatment is this, that too, towards people who have been living in this city for decades,” said Gurav.
Pagdi body meets officials
A crucial meeting was held at Mantralaya between Mukesh Shah, president of Pagdi Ekta Sangh, and Vinita Rane, general secretary, along with other senior government officials, including Principal Secretary Aseem Gupta and MHADA Chief Officer Milind Sambharkar, regarding the recent high court verdict and the future of pagdi tenants across Mumbai.
Shah raised concerns about issues faced by more than 1.5 lakh residents following the ruling. He pointed out that MHADA failed to declare itself as the “competent authority” before issuing 79(A) notices, jeopardising the legal standing of those notices and creating uncertainty for thousands of families. He warned that several pagdi buildings are in extremely dangerous condition, and if action is not taken urgently, the city could face tragic structural collapses.
Responding to these concerns, Gupta acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and clarified that while the high court upheld the 79(A) notices, it also recognised MHADA’s failure in following due process. He directed MHADA to immediately begin the process of declaring itself a competent authority under the law, to ensure that all future actions are legally valid and accountable. Sambharkar stated that MHADA had already approached the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the high court judgment, and that the matter is being pursued with urgency.
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