Savio Dsouza's marathon wait is finally over. Twenty-three days after The Indian Express reported that Mumbais first international marathon winner still lives in a garage in Thakurdwar and is still awaiting his promised flat, Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde finally reacted. On February 26, Shinde cleared a house for DSouza from his discretionary quota, under the Urban Land Ceiling Act.Joint Secretary Dr Sanjay Chahande confirmed that D’Souza has been allotted a 490 square ft-flat in Padma Nagar, Borivali.The letter bearing the news is on its way to DSouza, and when The Indian Express informed him, Savio was thrilled. ‘‘This is unbelievable,’’ he exclaimed. ‘‘This news is such a relief. Only I know how much I struggled for it before giving up some years back.’’DSouza, a Shiv Chhatrapati Awardee in 1986, was sanctioned a flat in 1989, but the allotment letter never came for 18 years. But February and March have been unforgettable. News channels took their cameras into his house. Spurred by the series of reports in The Indian Express, the official charity for the Mumbai International Marathon held on February 15, the Give Foundation, organised a Run for Savio fundraiser. Approximately Rs 1.5 lakh was raised during the event, soon to be given to DSouza.‘‘I became so self-conscious, I’m not used to this kind of publicity,’’ says DSouza. ‘‘Total strangers have turned to me at traffic signals and reassured me that my house would come.’’
