Slum dwellers facing eviction wary of opting for rental compensation

On January 3, BMC served notice to 123 slum residents in Hari Om Nagar and Shivaji Nagar in Jogeshwari East, asking them to vacate their tenements within 15 days; all tenements were constructed prior to 1995, the cut-off date for rehabilitation

Mumbai: Over a hundred families in Jogeshwari east whose slum tenements are slated to be razed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been offered compensatory rent of ₹15,000 for 18 months by the civic body, as opposed to the usual practice of providing alternate accommodation. But the families are wary of accepting the offer, saying numerous families that opted for rental compensation in the past have been left in the lurch, without either a roof over their heads or the promised rent. Some families also rejected the offer, claiming they were allotted apartments in a nearby Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building in 2018, but were yet to receive possession.

Mumbai, India - Jan. 5, 2024: Residents who've been served noticed to vacate their homes without the safeguard of alternate accommodation at Jogeshwari in Mumbai, India, on Friday, January 5, 2024. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

On January 3, BMC served notice to 123 slum residents in Hari Om Nagar and Shivaji Nagar in Jogeshwari East, asking them to vacate their tenements within 15 days; all tenements were constructed prior to 1995, the cut-off date for rehabilitation.

“Since the road needs to be widened as per the development plan, we had two options – provide them temporary accommodation meant for project affected peoples, which may be far away, or provide them rent till they are rehabilitated under the SRA scheme. Fortunately, the developer of the SRA building in their area agreed to give them rent till the building is ready, so we offered it to the residents,” said Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner of BMC’s K ward.

But families facing eviction were far from convinced. “All we want is a house in return for our house. We don’t want the empty promise of rent, which can tomorrow turn out to be full of air,” said Lila Sugar, a domestic worker, as other residents related stories of numerous families that opted for rent in the past but are yet to receive either that or alternate accommodation.

Some residents who were served notices on Wednesday claimed their names were included among lottery winners for rehabilitation in the nearby Harinagar Shivajinagar SRA building constructed in 2018. “We even received an allotment letter in 2022, but have not been provided a house yet,” said Vijay Vilas Salvi, speaking on behalf of a small group residents.

“Many flats allotted to slum dwellers are under encroachment. But despite four eviction notices from the BMC and police protection to carry out evictions, these encroachments have not been cleared,” explained Dilesh Waingavadekar, a former slum resident who received possession of a flat in the SRA building in April 2023 after a five-year legal battle in high court.

A December 2023 letter from the president of SRA to the deputy collector (special cell), which was reviewed by HT, indicated that residents’ allegations regarding encroachments were true. The letter provided details of encroachment in five apartments in the SRA building and urged concerned officials to clear the encroachments and seal the apartments at the earliest.

“Residents who claim that there are houses in the SRA building that are rightfully theirs should submit a written application. We will then clarify the same with SRA,” said K ward assistant commissioner Valanju.