Politicians write in support of Darukhana residents, demolitions to restart on Tuesday

“The police have informed us that the demolitions are due to take place on May 12 and 13, and that we should not cause any law and order situation,” said Shanti Ravi, from the Mumbai Port Ghar Haqq Sangharsh Samiti. “Police presence in the area has been increasing day by day, and people are scared. We are not sure how we are going to defend our homes tomorrow.”

Another resident, Durai Raj, said residents have been threatened with FIRs if they try to resist the evictions, and said some are not resisting out of fear.

As per activists, another 50 to 75 homes in the same area have also been targeted for demolitions.
Even though the slum residents would be considered eligible for rehabilitation homes as per the Maharashtra government’s slum rehabilitation policy, as the port authority land falls under the central government, the policy doesn’t apply to them. The MbPA has said it does not have a housing policy to rehouse the residents, who initially began living in the area when working at the port.
Sawant, in his letter to the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and police, implored the stance towards the residents be changed.

“The central government has taken a favorable stand on the rehabilitation of slum residents on their land under the PMAY-U scheme. The land-owning authority can implement slum redevelopment on their land in situ, for which central funding is available through PMAY-U 2.0. Where in situ redevelopment is not possible, the state government must propose a rehabilitation project with basic civic amenities at an alternate location,” he wrote on May 7, urging government authorities to collect and formulate a policy on the rehabilitation of these residents, as well as those on land owned by the railways, BARC, NTC, LIC, MTNL, etc.

In Deora’s letter dated May 6 to Angamuthu, chairman of the MbPA, he pressed for a humane rehabilitation policy for long-standing residents. On May 9, Lodha requested the demolition be postponed and arranged for a meeting with the chairman on Tuesday.

On his way to submit their appeal filed in the city civil court on Monday evening, Raj noted their attempt to get a stay order against the demolition from the courts had taken longer than expected, hence they had only managed to get an appeal case registered on Monday. “We are resigned to our fate,” he said.