65 families dishoused after Kailash Prabhat CHS razed to Ground Zero

MUMBAI: Finally resigning themselves to their fate, around 65-odd families, who had been putting up a stiff resistance against the BMC’s eviction notice since April, submitted to its forcible eviction, after which Kailash Prabhat CHS was razed to the ground on August 2. Covered in rubble, the housing society premises at the prime BKC-Kurla junction today stands as a stark reminder of broken homes and promises.
HT carried a series of reports from June 13 till July 17 about how the civic body had classified the housing society as a C1 (dangerous) structure, a rating contested by the residents, as VJTI and four other private structural firms had declared it under C2b (repairable) category. On July 17, HT last carried a report on how the BMC disconnected the electricity and water supply to the society but 65 families continued to stay put.
Parvez Majeed, a resident, stated that the BMC, along with the Vakola police, resorted to pressure tactics by threatening to file charges under Section 353 of the IPC for obstructing government officials from performing their duties. This tactic further intimidated the residents, ultimately leading them to buckle under pressure.
Majeed is currently living with his family of six at a relative’s home in Nerul, as he was unable to find a suitable home. “We got an eviction notice in April, and after that no eviction notice was served,” he said. “The water supply, gas and electricity was disconnected on July 15, and yet 65 to 70 families refused to vacate until July 31.”
On July 15, when the BMC first disconnected the electricity, patients in the building were shifted to relatives’ homes and those with a heart condition or on dialysis were hospitalised. “We were there till August 1, and some residents were even not allowed to remove their belongings,” said Majeed. “The buildings were barricaded, and the police entered with civic officials one morning, jolting us from our sleep. They conducted a manual demolition on July 29, 30 and 31 by forcibly evicting us, removing our doors and demolishing kitchen platforms, toilet commodes and windows. All three buildings were then razed to the ground on August 2.”
The residents had refused to vacate their ownership flats primarily because they faced an uncertain future. A developer, who had signed agreements with some of the residents to redevelop the society, had provided them with neither assurance nor rent, leaving them with little confidence.
Shabeen Sheikh, a fifth-floor resident, said that living in a building sans electricity and water involved other struggles. “A portion of a POP pillar fell twice on my dad, as the BMC had already damaged the flooring of the flats above us,” she said. “There was leakage, as windows were kept open on the top floors when it rained. In mid-July, some thieves also entered the building, as there were no security guards.”
Sheikh said the residents then got a call from someone that the building was collapsing, and the fire brigade had to be called. “The trauma didn’t end there,” she said. “Some strange men entered the building one morning and the same evening there was a spark in the meter room in one of the wings. We couldn’t bear this agony for long.”
Sheikh said a lady who couldn’t afford another place was brazenly kicked out from her home by a civic official from H East ward. “In the end, the BMC threw out all the A wing residents’ belongings from the window when they refused to vacate,” she said.
Most of the residents have moved to Kurla. “We are paying ₹25,000 for a 2BHK,” said Sheikh. “It’s cramped compared to the 4 BHK we had at Kailash Prabhat but we have converted a kitchen into a room and adjusted our family of seven.” Majeed said that some people had moved to hotels, guest houses and relatives’ homes and those who could afford it had rented flats.
Mehmood Ahmed, another resident, said that a second developer had evinced interest and made an offer to those residents who had not signed a development agreement with the previous builder. “We have moved the court to change the developer,” he said. “We need justice in this, as the unholy haste with which the BMC demolished our buildings along with the police and the developer needs to be highlighted. Declaring buildings under the C1 category is a game played to usurp our prime property, which has brought us all on the streets today.”
Ahmed alleged that for 1.5 years, the developer did not apply for an IOD (development permission) because he always intended to get the buildings categorised in the C1 category. “Now there is no agreement with any developer,” he said. “What if nothing happens and it continues to remain in a state of limbo? Where will we go? We have lost our ownership flats and have been dishoused forever.”