800 families in Bhoiwada stare at uncertain future as 22-year-old transit homes crumble

Earlier this month, when it seemed that ceilings in the building where D’Souza and Kahale reside would cave in, iron beams were installed for support in multiple flats. A survey of the transit homes was also conducted and the structural report is expected to be ready in a fortnight

Mumbai: Fifty-year-old Lillianette D’Souza fears that the ceiling of her one-room apartment in Bhoiwada village may collapse any time, despite the installation of a dozen iron props a few weeks ago to prevent the ceiling from caving in further.

Lillianette D’Souza fears that the ceiling of her one-room apartment in Bhoiwada village may collapse any time, despite the installation of a dozen iron props a few weeks ago (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Shubhangi Kajarle, 50, who resides on the floor above D’Souza, also has the same fear. Like D’Souza’s flat below, multiple iron props support the ceiling inside the 225-square feet apartment which has been her home for 22 years.

When D’Souza and Kajarle moved into the flats in the Bhoiwada Village Swapnaputi Cooperative Housing Society – a temporary transit camp – in the mid-2000s, they expected to stay here for a short while, at most a few years, till rehabilitation units were ready. But like nearly 650 other families residing in the housing society, they are still waiting for the promised rehabilitation flats while their transit homes are in shambles, and the risk of their ceilings collapsing looms large, especially amid the monsoon.

The transit homes were constructed in 2004 by Vighnaharta Builders and Projects, which had secured redevelopment rights from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2002-03 for the 5.5-acre land parcel in Bhoiwada village.

The land parcel was first utilised for housing by the Bombay Improvement Trust in the 1930s. In the early 1990s, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) contemplated revamping the area, but the plan did not materialise for various reasons. Eventually, in 2000, land was transferred to the BMC and the tender for redevelopment was awarded to Vighnaharta Builders and Projects in 2002-03. The developer constructed multiple four-storey buildings on the plot comprising 225-sqft transit homes, and around 800 families subsequently moved into the apartments, with the understanding that they would be allotted 500-sqft rehabilitation flats in highrise buildings on the same plot in due course, said Pravin Phatak, Secretary, Bhoiwada Village Swapnaputi Cooperative Housing Society.

“Since then, we have been facing an uncertain future,” Phatak said.

Dilip Shinde, the society’s treasurer, said after securing the redevelopment project, the developer began work on a highrise building with two wings, comprising 156 flats. But construction was halted mid-way and the BMC later terminated the contract with the developer.

“Now, encroachers have taken over the incomplete building,” Shinde rued, pointing at the partially-built structure. “The BMC has not taken any action despite being informed (about the alleged encroachment) several times.”

Meanwhile, 125 families were “temporarily” moved from the transit camp to Mulund, Kurla and Dharavi, said Namdev Bane, a member of the housing society’s managing committee. “Like us, those families too continue to reside in horrible conditions and their future hangs in uncertainty, especially with Dharavi’s revamp unfolding,” Bane said.

In 2015, Vighnaharta Builders and Projects moved the Bombay High Court, challenging the BMC’s decision to terminate the contract. As the litigation continued, an out-of-court settlement was reached in 2022, allowing the same developer to continue work on the project, subject to certain conditions.

“In fact, the authorities even permitted the developer to avail benefits under the new Development Control and Promotion Regulation, 2034. The Letter of Intent was received in 2025, which stated that the developer had to deposit over ₹200 crore with the BMC,” said Tanaji Bagal, president of the society.

The developer moved the high court again, challenging the amount to be paid as deposit. After learning about the petition, the society moved an intervention application, which was listed for hearing on July 28. But the hearing could not be held as the court’s working hours ended, said Shinde.

Earlier this month, when it seemed that ceilings in the building where D’Souza and Kajarle reside would cave in, iron beams were installed for support in multiple flats. A survey of the transit homes was also conducted and the structural report is expected to be ready in a fortnight.

“This report will decide if we can ever move to safer homes, even as the flats promised to us remain a distant dream and the battle continues in court,” said residents.

HT contacted Vighnaharta Builders and Projects and the BMC to clarify who would take responsibility in case of an unfortunate incident in the crumbling transit homes. But Santosh Mane, the developer’s representative, did not respond to the queries. Additional Municipal Commissioner Avinash Dhakne also refused to comment, saying “The matter is before the honourable High Court.”