250 houses razed along Kalwa creek, residents take shelter under the bridge

Dongre demanded a police investigation into the incident and threatened to intensify his protest if TMC did not act in favour of the homeless residents within two days. Sanju Yadav, a resident, said, “We were given no notice. As usual, we went out for work on August 27. When we came back, we found that our houses had been destroyed with all our belongings inside them

Thane: More than 300 people from 250 slums, which were constructed illegally along the Kalwa creek, have been living under a bridge for the last 20 days after the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) demolished the structures on August 27. The aggrieved residents have alleged that no notice was served on them prior to the demolition and their demand of relocation has not been fulfilled.

On Thursday afternoon, Sangam Dongre, a social worker, along with a few others stood in the creek waters to draw the attention of authorities. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo)

On Thursday afternoon, Sangam Dongre, a social worker, along with a few others stood in the creek waters to draw the attention of authorities.

“Babies as young as two days old have been thrown out of their homes. Officials gather here only when they need votes. No officials are here now when these people need them. The residents have paid taxes, and yet they are sleeping under a bridge,” Dongre said. “The civic body could at least have built a camp for them in a garden. We will get the place back at any cost.”

Dongre demanded a police investigation into the incident and threatened to intensify his protest if TMC did not act in favour of the homeless residents within two days.

Sanju Yadav, a resident, said, “We were given no notice. As usual, we went out for work on August 27. When we came back, we found that our houses had been destroyed with all our belongings inside them.”

She also claimed that her pregnant sister-in-law was forced to leave the house when civic officials turned up unannounced. “She went into labour the same day. Despite her cries in pain, the officials carried on with their destruction work.”

Anju Yadav, who is from the same family, said, “My son was severely injured after he banged his head against a stone under the bridge. We had to take him to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj hospital. How much more are we going to suffer?”

“The government says ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’. But our betis (daughters) are sleeping under the bridge, with no washrooms,” said Meena Devi, one of the many residents who lost her home.

Abhijit Bangar, municipal commissioner, and Sandeep Malvi, additional municipal commissioner confirmed that the construction was illegal, hence it was demolished.

Abhijit Bangar said, “The demolition was not aimed towards destroying unauthorised construction, but to ensure the safety of the people. Not all houses were demolished, only the ones that were near to the water were demolished, because if the water level rises, it’ll be dangerous for the people.”

“I don’t think serving a notice is important when safety of the people is in question. The residents have submitted documents today stating that according to the biometric survey conducted earlier, they are eligible for rehabilitation. We will verify the documents and accordingly take action”