Duo gave Cuffe Parade shelter a makeover

Nestled among the Machimaar Colony slums at Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai is the two-storey Anchorage House, which looks like an upmarket sea-facing house, unlike its neighbouring slum dwellings.

Nestled among the Machimaar Colony slums at Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai is the two-storey Anchorage House, which looks like an upmarket sea-facing house, unlike its neighbouring slum dwellings.

HT Image

Former British naval officers Duncan Grant and Alan Waters have given the shelter home a makeover after they had been acquitted in 2008.

When the Hindustan Times visited the place on Friday, Hakim Sheikh, 23, who identified himself as the caretaker, refused to open the door.

Peering through the window, Sheikh said Grant and Waters were not at home.

“They have been framed but I cannot discuss the details. I have lived with them since I was 14. They have been very kind to me,” Sheikh said.

But neighbours said currently there are 20 boys living at the Anchorage House.

A quick check of the Cuffe Parade boys’ shelter revealed that it has a sea-facing balcony on the first floor, equipped with a water tank, a basin and a urinal.

A local, who identified himself only as Ravi, told the Hindustan Times that Grant and Waters have purchased more properties in the area.

When the Hindustan Times tried to verify if Grant and Waters owned a house in an adjoining lane, one local said that a boy from Anchorage lived there, while another woman claimed it was her house. Both refused to reveal their names.