Desperate residents dig in heels for last stand

“I will die along with my house but not leave this place,which has been my home for 25 years now,” said Meera Mohitani,a resident of the Orchid building.

Mohitani lives with her 18-year-old daughter. “I am a housewife surviving on my late husband’s savings. How will I buy another flat in today’s times in a city like Mumbai?” she asked.

“The authorities are harassing us as we are middle-class,law abiding citizens. If they are going to destroy our homes,we will build slums in this compound but not move out,” said Kamal Parikh (63),who has been on hunger strike for five days now along with three others.

Earlier in the day,another resident Kapoorchand Jain (67) was admitted to the nearby Bhatia hospital after he fainted due to weakness.

“What example are we setting for our youngsters? My 22-year old son says he will never pay stamp duty or property tax in the future if this is the way the authorities treat people who have followed rules,” said Sunanda Verma,another resident.

“The builder flouted norms,the BMC ignored the situation for 30 years and now we are paying the price for their faults. People from UK,USA and Dubai write to us and tell us this is wrong,but our own authorities have failed to listen to us,” said Karan Sethia,a resident and also in-charge of the Save Campa Cola Campaign.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com