Optimism abounds after hearings with MHADA officials; soon, report to be submitted to HC; a report containing the statements of landlords and tenants will be submitted to the high court in the coming week
Kubal Niwas, a dilapidated house in Dadar West, which houses two families. FILE PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
Implementing a Bombay High Court order staying the issuance of 79A and B notices served to the owners of several buildings, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) office, between November 7 and 20, heard the submissions of landlords and tenants whose redevelopment is being stalled because of the court’s directions.
The background
Hearing a matter where some tenants had filed a complaint, stating that the notices given during the monsoon inspections to identify dilapidated buildings were not as per rules and were, in some cases, given by engineers who did not even belong to the respective ward, the court had then put a blanket stay on all notices served. “This stay was brought in without considering if any of these landlords and tenants were willing to go ahead with the redevelopment or making it a fair deal for us," said Dinesh Loke, a resident of Kondaji Chawl, project number one, which includes building no. 1, 2, 3, and 5. His hearing was held on November 17.
The HC had thus directed that meetings be conducted and a report be submitted. The hearings of landlords and tenants of the 935 cessed buildings concluded on Thursday at the MHADA office in Bandra.
The hearings
The landlords of 500-odd buildings out of the 935 buildings — the redevelopment of which had been stayed by the court in July, which had stated that MHADA's executive engineers had issued notices declaring the buildings as dilapidated and dangerous for habitation without jurisdiction as they had vested interests in the properties — were heard between November 7 and 12. Further, the tenants of the same buildings were called for hearings between November 14 and 20.
“We were asked for details such as whether our respective buildings had the required consent from the tenants, if our landlord had given consent for redevelopment and if we had zeroed down on any developer. Those tenants who had difficulties expressed their concerns while the rest of us stated that we had everyone’s consent, including our landlords,” said Loke.
Further, Jitendra Ghadge, a resident of Parekh Building, one of 46 buildings, the notices of which were revoked after HC's stay order, who had his hearing on November 14, told mid-day, “While the committee is rightly advising tenants of dangerous buildings to vacate and shift to MHADA’s alternate accommodation, the harsh reality is that MHADA simply does not have enough transit homes to house thousands of affected families. In such a situation, the most practical and humane solution is to allow tenants to undertake redevelopment under Section 79B when landlords refuse to cooperate — before the building collapses and lives are needlessly lost.”
Meanwhile, a report containing the statements of landlords and tenants will be submitted to the high court in the coming week. “We just hope that at least, we who have already given consent for redeveloping our buildings and also have landlords’ support for the same, get justice, and our redevelopment begins soon,” said Loke.
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