How Campa Cola flats will be razed piece by piece

There seems to be little hope for residents of illegal flats of buildings in the Campa Cola compound at Worli. The Supreme Court has refused the residents' plea to extend the stay order on demolition beyond May 31.

While the BMC is readying itself to bring down the 35 unauthorised floors, residents are clutching at straws, hoping that a change in government will help their cause, with election results due on May 16. File pic

Residents are already fighting a case in the apex court; they claim they have documents which, according to them, show that they have the property rights of their flats and that they should be allowed to reside in their homes. In order to work further on the case, the homeowners had filed a plea with the SC to extend the deadline for the stay order on demolition.

However, the SC has stuck to its old date of May 31, and has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take action after the deadline is crossed. Residents seem to have little choice but to vacate their homes, seeing that courts are shut from May 9 till May 29.

Knockdown plan
Meanwhile, the civic body is readying itself to bring down the unauthorised 35 floors across seven buildings in the posh residential complex (see illustration for procedure). The BMC will float tenders for demolition in a day, and the contract is expected to be worth Rs 1-Rs 1.5 crore.

While civic authorities will do the initial hammering, further work will be handed over to a contractor, who will be given a year's time to destroy the illegal floors. Residents are clutching at straws, hoping that a change in government will help their cause, with election results due on May 16.

Nandini Mehta, a resident, said, "The Modi wave is having a ripple effect across the country, with good governance being his main election plank. We believe Modi can make a difference and look up to him with immense hope."

Mumbai's BJP president Ashish Shelar underlined the importance of a human solution. "There definitely is something wrong and the administration has some vested interest. That is why the BMC is unwilling to find a humane legal solution for these residents and is pressing for the demolition of the compound," Shelar said.