Slumdwellers barge into Adarsh,want it pulled down instead of their huts

A group of over 200 activists and slumdwellers led by Medha Patkar marched into the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society premises in Cuffe Parade on Tuesday evening demanding that the 31-storey tower be demolished instead of their dwellings. Most of the protesters were residents of Ganesh Krupa Society in the Golibar area of Santacruz (East) where slums are being demolished since January 20 for a contentious redevelopment project under the SRA scheme.

Calling Adarsh “a symbol of corruption in the Indian governance system”,Patkar said that instead of destroying the houses of these poor people in the guise of redevelopment,the government and police should demolish the ‘illegal’ Adarsh society. “People living in Koliwadas and slum settlements are the oldest inhabitants of the city. But they are now being thrown out of their houses without the slightest of consideration. Under the pretext of redevelopment,large tracts of land are being parceled out to private builders,” said Patkar,adding that the government was purposefully delaying the demolition order from the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

The group from the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan,which includes residents from other slum colonies like Mandala in Mankhurd and Sion Koliwada that have seen repeated demolitions,marched up a ramp to the parking area of the building amidst the presence of cops. They shouted slogans against the government,the police and builders.

Renu Balgai,a resident of the Golbar area who has been staying in a transit camp after her house was demolished,said the civic authorities who come to demolish their dwellings have no legal documents. “When we ask them who gave them the authority to demolish our houses,they insult us instead. We have been living and cooking in transit camps,some of us right outside the demolished house. If they think our houses are illegal why don’t they demolish this huge structure first?”