A 50-member delegation from the Pagdi Ekta Sangh met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray at Matoshree this week, raising alarm over the stalled redevelopment of pagdi buildings across Mumbai.

Residents say the situation has reached a breaking point. Many of these pre-1940 ‘A-category’ structures, housing thousands of families, are in a dangerous condition. Crumbling walls, leaking roofs, and the lack of basic amenities such as toilets, clean water, and sanitation have left people, including elderly residents and women, living in unsafe environments.

The delegation blamed MHADA for the standstill, accusing the housing authority of failing to move projects forward. The crisis has been compounded by recent Bombay High Court rulings that limit MHADA’s powers under Section 79A of the MHADA Act, a provision meant to fast-track redevelopment of hazardous C1-category buildings. With the matter now pending before the Supreme Court, tenants fear years more of uncertainty.