Patra Chawl case: Residents reject ‘unsafe’ MHADA flats in Mumbai's Goregaon

A redevelopment project that began in 2008 and was taken over by MHADA in 2018 has now reached a breaking point in Goregaonrsquos Siddharth Nagar where residents of Patra Chawl have been on a 21day indefinite chain hunger strike refusing to move into flats they claim are unsafe incomplete and legally uncertainThe protest which includes women senior citizens and teenagers comes even as MHADA began allotting rehabilitation flats on March 10 following approval from the Bombay High CourtChunks of plaster and concrete that have fallen from the building add to safety concerns raised by residentsWhat residents say they are being givenAllege serious construction flawsgtgt Leakages and damaged flooringgtgt Hollow walls and poorquality doorsgtgt Falling plaster from buildingsThe newly constructed rehabilitation building in Goregaon where residents allege incomplete workgtgt Incomplete work and inadequate parkingShaila Vyas 64 residentldquoThe doors are low quality the walls are hollow and plaster is already falling If this is the condition before we move in what will happen afterrdquogtgt lsquoForced possessionrsquo without agreementsgtgt A key flashpoint is missing paperworkgtgt No final Permanent Alternate Accommodation Agreement PAAAgtgt No executed Development Agreement DASuresh Vichare 48 residentsldquoWithout these how can we move in Yet MHADA is forcing us to take possessionrdquo Suresh Vichare 48 who says residents have repeatedly raised concerns with Milind Borikar chief officer Mumbai Board MHADA ldquobut nothing has been implemented on the groundrdquogtgt Lives disrupted not just delayedGauri Bhandari 19 residentsFor many the wait has had real consequences ldquoI was one year old when we vacated I am 19 now and itrsquos still not completerdquo Gauri Bhandari 19 who said she had to quit her education after rent support droppedShe added ldquoWe saw leakages broken doors and damaged tiles during inspection How are we supposed to live thererdquo Gauri also questioned the safety clearance ldquoPlaster has fallen from Cwing and Fwing A chunk fell from the 11th floor How can this get an lsquookay reportrsquo by VJTIrdquogtgt lsquoThis is our landrsquoSenior resident Dilip Mehta 78 who has lived in Patra Chawl since 1948 said ldquoThe land belongs to the residents This chawl has existed since 1944 MHADA is trying to dupe us The construction is poor and parts are already falling offrdquo He also alleged the work was carried out by a blacklisted builder and questioned whether MHADA would take responsibility for safetygtgt Residents lsquoWe donrsquot exist for themrsquoViswanath another residentldquoFor MHADA Patra Chawl residents do not exist We are not asking for anything extra only what was promised This feels like daylight robberyrdquoMP steps inMumbai North West MP Ravindra Waikar has written to MHADA CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal flagginggtgt Violations of the tripartite agreement PAAAgtgt Unexecuted DA and PAAAgtgt Missing amenities like parkinggtgt Rent compensation delays since 2014gtgt He urged immediate repairs and action against those responsibleDamp walls and seepage inside newly allotted rehabilitation flats Seepage marks and moisture patches inside the building PicsBy Special ArrangementWhere it standsAuthorities Flats ready agreements largely addressedResidents Unsafe homes incomplete work missing guaranteesFor those on hunger strike the demand remains unchangedgtgt Fix the defectsgtgt Sign the agreementsgtgt Then hand over the homesgtgt Until then the protest continuesMHADArsquos responseVice President and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal saidgtgt Draft PAAA approved by courtappointed observersgtgt Flats ready for almost a yeargtgt ldquoA few residentsrdquo are opposing and blocking othersOn safety concerns he curtly saidldquoFind out what is the actual reasonrdquo