In other buildings,fear of crash and eviction too

‘A roof over our heads’

Rehmani Building,Devipada

A wedding decorator,38,living here would never read beyond a few words of the regular eviction notices from the Thane Municipal Corporation. His attitude changed on April 4. “I now ensure my children sleep in my brother’s flat in the next building. It has fewer cracks,” he says.

Moving out is not an option,for he cannot afford that at the current property prices. “Even if this is a dilapidated building,we at least have a roof over our heads. And we hope that someday we will become legal owners of this house,” he says. “Besides,our neighbours are an elderly couple,sick and invalid. They live on whatever food we give them. If a disaster strikes,they are our responsibility.”

‘When,not if’

Sofia Building,Devipada

“It’s not about ‘will it collapse’. It is about ‘when it collapses’,” says an electronic equipment shop-worker who lives at Sofia Building with his wife and two children; his sister and her children share the house. “One cannot get lucky every year. The building is bound to give way someday,” he adds. “We keep praying we are outside when that happens.”

The 31-year-old building has been served eviction notices twice,but he cannot move out. “I had a business until last year,but after continuous losses,I shut down my garage and began working at a small shop,” he says.

“Local leaders make promises before elections but turn their back in times of need. Every month,they get a cut from the rent we pay our landlord,so why would they bother,” he says. “I had participated in some political rallies last year. Corporators help in payment of hospital bills,but are not willing to help make big changes.”

One that was redone

Imran Chawl,Kausa

Abdul Rehmani,62,now lives in a new apartment in a seven-storey structure after the builder redeveloped the old building. His earlier 175-square-foot home was in a building above a drain. “Its condition would keep me awake at night,worrying about my family and little grandson,” he says.

“We were given a notice some years ago about our old chawl of four rooms having been built on a nullah. Our builder says he has covered the drain,ensuring the foundation is strong,” says Rehmani. The permission was originally for five floors,and the builder and chawl residents plan additional floors.

Rehmani paid Rs 1.5 lakh for an additional 150 sq feet. “My son works in a government office and funded it from his savings,” he says.

Always on guard

Raziyabi Building,Devipada

Since her marriage,she has spent over two decades in a 200-square-foot apartment. “My children have grown up here. Now the corporation is telling us to vacate this house. Where can we go?” says the 45-year-old.

The family pays a tenancy rent of Rs 310 per month and will become owners of the house if and when the building is redeveloped. “If we leave,there is no proof we lived here,” she says. The family never leaves the house empty.

For all their allegations against the corporation,members of these very families work as political foot soldiers of the corporators. The 45-year-old woman’s son,24,is an example. “He campaigns for the local corporator during elections. It helps us in a financial crisis,” she says. She adds the building was bought recently by the local corporator’s brother.

‘we Tried,they cannot’

Corporator’s view

“My brother bought one of the buildings recently and tried to convince the residents to accept redevelopment,” says Yasin Quereshi,corporator from Deviapada for three terms. “They have no alternative accommodation,due to which redevelopment hasn’t taken off.”

He agreed that buildings such as Raziyabi and Rehmani are highly dangerous and should be redeveloped based on the cluster model of development. “There is nothing more important than the lives of people and they should urgently be evicted,but where else will they go?”