The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has marked 407 buildings in Mumbai as unsafe for occupation, which includes the Tata Nagar Society. The civic body ascertained the unstable complexes during a pre-monsoon survey. The Tata Nagar Society currently has 123 tenants on all the floors combined.
Since a portion of the flooring on the third floor of the Tata Nagar Society collapsed in 2018, residents have resorted to using a rope to cross over to their respective homes. Meanwhile, the redevelopment and repairs of this building have been at a standstill due to a court dispute.
A resident of the building Hemant Machiwale explained the struggles faced by residents of this building. “We have appealed to local representatives, housing minister and the chief minister to help us by constructing a transit camp till the issue of this building is resolved. BMC wants to evacuate us without providing alternative housing. They cut the building's water and electricity supply in 2016, but it was restored after a court order,” he said.
The BMC has marked the building as C1, which stands for extremely dilapidated, as a large portion of the complex has either collapsed already or is on the verge of collapsing. A majority of the residents at this complex are former Swadeshi Mills employees.
“We can't afford to rent; where will we stay if we have to move out? The gas cylinder will not be delivered to our house as the delivery person is scared. We have to go down and get the cylinder. We are not sure about our future, but hope that government will pay heed to our demands and shift us in (sic) a transit camp,” Mahendra Kamble, who lives on the third floor of the building said.
The civic body has so far initiated the demolition of around 150 buildings that were deemed unsafe. However, 73 residents of such buildings have filed lawsuits against the civic body, thus halting the demolition process.
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