30 April,2011 08:27 AM IST | | Varun Singh
Exhibition organised by Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry witnessed protests by a group of furious demonstrators; also drew flak for exhibiting an elephant
Builders, controversies and irregularities go hand in hand. But things took on a new dimension at the property exhibition organised by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI), Thane.
A crowd of angry protesters barged into the exhibition shouting out slogans against builders firm, Soham Builders. Another aberration that raised eyebrows was the presence of an elephant in the exhibition premises.
An elephant at the MCHI property exhibition at Thane. (Below) Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray talks to protesters at the exhibition
Nearly a dozen people gathered at the exhibition, declaring in furious voices that no one should buy houses built by Soham Builders. The reason, they claimed, is that the builder had cheated them.
Shalaka Desai, a protester, said, "The builders took money from us in 2008, but never gave us the flats we paid for. We wanted to hand over a letter of complaint to Uddhav Thackeray, who was the chief guest at the event. When we were not allowed, we decided to protest."
Chandrabhushan Mishra, another protester, said, "The builder was refusing to meet us, avoiding us at other times. We chose this means as a last resort. We don't want others to experience the same fate that befell us. We wanted to create awareness among other potential clients that this firm was fraudulent."
The protestors' demonstration appeared to have yielded results. Thackeray met them and asked them to meet his senior party leader in Thane, assuring them that justice would be done.
The firm also invited scathing criticism from animal rights activists the reason being that the premises of the exhibition compound accommodated an elephant. The elephant was decorated with posters, and was made to sport the MCHI logo.
According to Suneesh Subramaniam of PAWS, an animal welfare NGO, "A gigantic beast like the elephant is not allowed within the city limits of Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Elephants are prohibited from entering the urban areas. This is illegal, and strict action can be taken by the forest officer," he said.
The Other Side
Builder Chetan Parekh of Soham Builders acceded that a person in his organisation was responsible for the deception. He maintained that the employee had fled after committing the fraud.
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"What the people are alleging is partly true. We have returned homes to nearly 60 of our 81 clients. We have assured the rest that we will return their homes as well. I have asked them to meet me personally so we can resolve the matter together," he said.
Nainesh Shah, president of MCHI-Thane, commented on the elephant's presence in the exhibition, saying, "I will immediately look into the matter and see who is responsible for bringing the elephant into the premises."
