06 April,2017 04:19 AM IST | | Hemal Ashar
As the April sun blazed down on Azad Maidan, south Mumbai residents and tenants gathered there were feeling the heat for an entirely different reason - the fear of being rendered homeless by the Bombay Port Trust (MbPT), which has slapped notices on several buildings across the city, particularly in SoBo
Placards of south Mumbai residents and tenants say it all at Azad Maidan on Tuesday. Pics/Bipin Kokate
As the April sun blazed down on Azad Maidan, south Mumbai residents and tenants gathered there were feeling the heat for an entirely different reason - the fear of being rendered homeless by the Bombay Port Trust (MbPT), which has slapped notices on several buildings across the city, particularly in SoBo.
The Port Trust served notices to a number of residential and commercial properties, stating that their lease is over, or citing breaches like rent arrears and illegal construction, - allegedly in a bid to force pagadi tenants to either leave or pay astronomical rent at market rates in SoBo, which are at least 50 times more than what they are paying currently.
Tuesday afternoon saw them assembled at Azad Maidan, to listen to Vinod Shekhar, general secretary of Mumbai Congress, the next politician promising to play saviour to the residents, after Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant had vowed to help them. Shekhar said, "Our numbers are less today, but I hope we will be many more the next time. We must start somewhere and, today, we start this fight." Soon enough, slogans of "BJP-Shiv Sena hai hai" rang out, spearheaded by Shekhar.
A complex matter
There are several buildings in which landlords have collected rents from tenants, and have simply gone missing. They have not handed over the rent amount to the Port Trust. Now, the tenants say, "We are paying the price for the missing landlords. The Port Trust does not recognise us formally. They say that all they know is that rent has not been paid. There are arrears running into lakhs." In many instances, tenants are paying old rent rates, ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 a month. "We fear that we will be told to pay new market rates, which will be close to a lakh or more per month. Then what will we do? It is either this or get out," said Sridhar Shenoy, resident of Darukhana, which is also a prime Port Trust target.
"We have no option but to come on the streets," said Activist S Sapre, upon being invited to the dais. Sapre stressed that they need support from slum dwellers and Kohlis (fisherfolk) as well.
Pervez Cooper, the face of Colaba in the fight against the Port Trust thundered, "We want all political parties to support us. Where is Mr Narendra Modi? He needs to listen.
I voted for him; we want our voices to reach him."
Clubs under attack
Radio Club president Premal Goragandhi said, "Progress does not mean making people homeless." The club president was alluding to plans to evict residents and build world-class piers, gardens, towers and hospitals there. Incidentally, Radio Club is in the Port Trust's firing line, like several other clubs, including Yacht Club.
Some of those who attended had not yet received any notice. "But it is better to be prepared; who knows what will happen," said Bharat Kini, who runs a restaurant in Ballard Pier. "Look what happened in the highways and liquor case. One fine day, all the shops and restaurants were closed."
More buildings get notices
There was a buzz of at least four buildings in the Ballard Pier-Colaba stretch, including a hotel, having recently received Port Trust notices. This is the single biggest property crisis in the city right now. "SoBo is a goldmine, everybody wants a slice of the pie," finished M Sanjana, Colaba resident, as the worried group filtered out of the Maidan, lamenting, "We all are living in a climate of fear. Who knows what the next day will bring."
