MIAL calls off demolition in Air India colony due to protests

Residents accuse MIAL of violating the Supreme Court’s 2023 order staying demolition of the colony and deploying bouncers to threaten people

Mumbai: The Adani Airports-controlled Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) began demolishing 20 residential buildings in the Air India colony at Kalina on Tuesday afternoon. But the exercise was called off hours later as residents raised a hue and cry, saying no notices had been issued regarding the demolition. They accused MIAL of violating the Supreme Court’s 2023 order staying demolition of the colony and deploying bouncers to threaten people.

MIAL calls off demolition in Air India colony due to protests

MIAL, meanwhile, claimed that the buildings earmarked for demolition on Tuesday were “uninhabited and dilapidated”, and the exercise was “conducted in strict adherence to the law and with the permission” of concerned authorities. Adani airports owns 74% stake in MIAL and wants to use the land for commercial exploitation.

“The Adani team arrived at 3.15pm on Tuesday with some machines, an empty truck, a water tanker, and many policemen and bouncers. They conducted a recce and waited for the nursery school in our complex to get over before engaging us in dialogue,” said the wife of a serving Air India employee who resides in the colony and was present during Monday’s incident, requesting anonymity.

Residents of the colony, who were alerted about the events through WhatsApp groups, assembled at the spot and asked MIAL officials to show relevant papers/ permission, which was turned down, they said.

“As we were speaking, they started demolishing one building which was vacant. When we protested, one of the estate managers abused us,” said the wife of the serving Air India employee.

“It is really surprising the way MIAL officers and staff of Adani Airports came to our colony without any prior notice and demolished a part despite the stay from the Supreme Court,” said Sandeep Drave, a residents and member of Air Corporation Employees’ Union.

“We’re planning to move the Supreme Court and the civil court regarding the illegal demolition,” said former corporator and general secretary of the Aviation Industry Employees Guild, George Abraham.

The colony with two schools, one co-operative store and around 1800 staff quarters was constructed in the 1950s. It occupies 184 acres of land, which was leased by the state government to Air India. When the national carrier was privatised in 2021, the land was not included in the deal, but transferred to Air India Asset Holding Company Limited (AIAHL), a government-owned special purpose vehicle set up to handle the airline’s non-core assets and settle its debt. Plans to demolish the colony, which now houses only 350 families of staff members of Air India and its subsidiaries, date back several years. In 2022 and 2023, Air India issued multiple notices to residents of the colony asking them to vacate the premises. The residents, in turn, moved the SC seeking a stay on the demolition, which was granted in late 2023.

MP Desai, a resident of the colony who works with Air India Airport Services, said when MIAL took over the airport, they said they would construct a smaller colony with two schools. “Though Air India did not agree to this, things changed when the Adani group took over the airport,” he said.

“We were given an assurance by the court that we can stay in the quarters till we retire. Despite this, when we confronted the Adani group officials on Tuesday and asked them for papers authorising the demolition, they asked us to produce papers instead,” said Alkesh Parmar, an employee of Air India Engineering Services.

Meanwhile, a MIAL spokesperson said that Tuesday’s demolition was “conducted in strict adherence to the law, in accordance with the permission/ handover granted by AIAHL”. He said 20 “uninhabited, dilapidated structures at the Air India Colony” had been earmarked for demolition in keeping with the company’s comprehensive redevelopment plan of the airport land.

“At present, no demolition steps have been undertaken for the remaining 80+ buildings within the colony which are currently occupied. Due process of law by filing eviction applications under the AAI Act are being followed for the same,” said the spokesperson.