After 17-year battle, Versova residents reclaim public garden

MUMBAI: Goldie Garage, an illegal structure, was demolished after a 17-year legal battle, clearing space for a garden at Versova, thanks to citizen efforts.

MUMBAI: A 17-year legal battle came to a close on Monday when an unauthorised garage called Goldie Garage was demolished, freeing up space reserved for a garden at Versova. The demolition was undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on orders of the Bombay High Court.

After 17-year battle, Versova residents reclaim public garden

The garage had occupied 201 sq m on a larger plot measuring 7,552 sq m, reserved as a Recreation Ground in the BMC’s Development Plan. The plot is located opposite Natasha Towers and diagonally opposite Vinit Towers near Seven Bungalows.

The case was doggedly pursued by citizens under the JVLR ALM-North with the support of their local MLA Ameet Satam, who helped them reopen an old case and seek the BMC’s intervention in moving court.

“It was such a relief for all of us. We’ve been calling each other, and everyone is celebrating after receiving the verdict. Of course, we must thank our MLAs for their support,” said Captain Dr Kanta Mukherjee, president of JVLR ALM-North.

The illegal garage, which repaired luxury cars, had been set up in the name of a deceased individual who lived in an apartment building in the vicinity. “The land was claimed in 2007 in the name of a deceased man who lived in Vinit Towers. Ever since, activities at the garage had disturbed us and even blocked traffic on JVLR. Many mechanics worked at the garage and we were constantly inconvenienced by the goings-on,” said Mukherjee.

Residents urged the BMC to take action, and a notice was served under Section 354 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act). The garage owner moved the Dindoshi’s city civil court in 2007 but in 2008, the BMC lost the case.

Mukherjee said the JVLR ALM North pushed for action, prompting the BMC to file another suit in the City Civil Court in 2018. “Our intervention in the case was rejected in 2019, and we lost once again,” said Mukherjee.

But the residents would not give up. “For years, the encroacher kept delaying the case. When the pandemic hit, the BMC withdrew the case in 2020. That’s when residents, utterly frustrated, turned to our local MLA, Ameet Satam, and former Guardian Minister, Mangal Prabhat Lodha,” said Mukherjee.

She said she met with the deceased man’s family to obtain the critical death certificate. “I met with the family of the deceased, the alleged legal claimant of the plot, and secured the death certificate. Satamji organised a meeting with the BMC’s legal department, and using the certificate, reopened the case,” she said.

The BMC pushed for a review of the 2007 case. It presented evidence that there had been a misrepresentation of facts. The Bombay High Court reprimanded the encroacher.

“We filed another case in the high court, and on Saturday, an order was passed to remove the encroachments,” Mukherjee explained.s