Mhada: 21 south Mumbai structures are extremely dangerous

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) on Tuesday said that as per its pre-monsoon survey, of the 14,755 dilapidated buildings in the Island city, 21 are ‘extremely dangerous’

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) on Tuesday said that as per its pre-monsoon survey, of the 14,755 dilapidated buildings in the Island city, 21 are ‘extremely dangerous’. It has asked the residents staying in the 21 structures to immediately vacate their houses.

HT Image

There are 717 tenants (460 residential and 257 commercial) in these buildings, located at Mazagaon, Girguam, Khetwadi, VP Road and Nagpada in south Mumbai.

The Mumbai Repairs and Reconstruction Board, an arm of Mhada, looks after the maintenance of old buildings in the Island city and conducts survey of old buildings before the onset of monsoon every year. It then directs the residents (owners and tenants) of buildings, which are in a dangerous condition and may collapse during heavy rains, to vacate the premises. The residents are given free transit tenements built by Mhada.

Vinod Ghosalkar, chairman, Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board, said, “These buildings can collapse anytime and hence, we requested the residents to move out immediately. We will accommodate these tenants at our transit accommodations,” said Ghosalkar.

When asked whether the residents are being reluctant to move out, Ghosalkar said, “I will meet them personally, and I’m sure they will heed to my request. We have the power to forcibly evict, but we’ll exercise restraint.” He said that most of the transit accommodations are in the suburbs.

Of these 21 structures, 10 have been repeated from last year’s list. Last year, 18 structures were declared ‘extremely dangerous’.

These buildings will be demolished after they are vacated. The landlord and tenants will have to go for revamp by appointing a private builder or Mhada will take up the task.

The residents of these buildings are, however, unwilling to move out, stating that they will permanently lose their homes in south Mumbai. “We’ve seen that many of the residents who had shifted in the past few decades never came back and languished in the dirty Mhada transit camps in far off suburbs,” said a 45-year-old homemaker living in a Mazagaon chawl. “Mhada should understand that our lives – jobs, schools and everything else – are based in south Mumbai and we will not be able to sustain in far off suburbs. They should give us transit accommodation here itself,” she added.

Ghosalkar agreed that the previous experiences of tenants were not pleasant, but assured that to ensure that they be back in south Mumbai. “We are working on a policy to ensure that these tenants get new houses in south Mumbai itself,” he added.