Residents of Bandra government colony begin hunger strike for ownership homes

Some buildings in the colony have been demolished to make way for the new Bombay high court complex

MUMBAI: On Gandhi Jayanti, residents of Government Colony in Bandra East began an indefinite hunger strike to press their demand of ownership homes in the same area. Some buildings in the colony have been demolished to make way for the new Bombay high court complex.

Residents of Bandra government colony begin hunger strike for ownership homes

In August, chief minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with a delegation of the Government Quarters Residents’ Association (GQRA), and asked the administration to check if, as a special case, a land parcel could be given to employees in a nearby area or somewhere else in Mumbai and asked the delegation to submit a letter to the administration.

A day after the Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud, laid the foundation stone of the high court complex, the government employees living in staff quarters warned that they would go on an indefinite hunger strike from October 2. Accordingly, Chandrakant Kirloskar, Nandkishor Mirashi, Tina Kadam, Shailaja Tambe and Pooja Bhosale began their strike on Wednesday under the GQRA banner.

Tina Kadam (42) has been living in Government Colony with her husband for around 19 years. “Leaders from the ruling party keep doling out promises but nothing happens,” she said. “Just before the Lok Sabha elections, we decided to boycott voting in order to protest against the government’s indifference to our demands. That time, BJP leader Ashish Shelar promised us that the government would look into the matter. Later, we had a meeting with chief minister Eknath Shinde. He too seemed to be positive but nothing ever happens on the ground.”

Nandkishor Mirashi (58), who retired from service in January 2024, said that he had lived in Government Colony from his childhood, as his father was also a government employee. “People who encroached on land here got free homes through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority,” he said. “But despite our being willing to pay for our houses—at affordable rates—we are still struggling.”

Rajesh Jadhav, a member of GQRA, said that as instructed by the CM in their meeting on August 16, the association submitted a proposal on August 30. “We have demanded 16 acres of land for 2,700 homes and are ready to pay at concessional rates of the ready reckoner which, as per our estimate, would be between ₹200 crore and ₹250 crore,” he said.

When asked about his earlier statement, where he said that residents were asking for 12 acres of land for ₹350 crore, Jadhav said it was a rough calculation but they had now submitted a proposal of 16 acres for ₹200 crore to ₹250 crore after studying the details. He added that in the past, the government had given land parcels to housing societies in nearby areas at 20% to 25 % of the ready reckoner rates.