Mumbai: Pre-World War II Army station stands in way of redevelopment projects in Juhu

Juhu residents who are affected by the Army signalling station gather to protest on Sunday

Juhu resident Gaurang Bajaj, who used to live in Tara Apartments, moved out of his home in 2011 as the building went for redevelopment. Eleven years on, he still waits to return to the area as the building works stopped after a few months as the land falls in the restricted defence area. This is the case for many such buildings in the area due to the presence of the Army signalling station. The residents on Sunday called a meeting to look for a solution to this decade-old problem.

"This is just not the case with my building. Many buildings in my locality suffer due to this restriction. The work of our building, which used to house 18 families, stopped as the land fell in the so-called buffer zone of the Army signalling station. All of us have moved to different places now and are waiting to come home," Bajaj said.

Monami building in Juhu, which is awaiting redevelopment. Pics/Shadab Khan

Prakash Madnani, a senior citizen resident of Hazaribagh Society, said, "My building was old and slabs had started collapsing. So, my family decided to leave the house. I've been living in a rented house since."

The issue

B B Lakdawala, another Juhu resident, explained, "According to the Army circular, 500 yards surrounding this signalling station needs to be a buffer zone. The rule affects at least 189 buildings, Mora village, a fisherman colony and some slums pockets. All these buildings are more than 40-45 years old and need to be redeveloped. But we are not getting permission from the planning authority. As they need a no-objection certificate from the defence ministry."

Citing that this was a pre-World War II Indian Army signalling station, he said, "The Army did not bother to upgrade or object when buildings first started coming up around the installation. The objections started coming in 2009. We have been fighting for 11 years but are not getting justice. The buildings are very old. If the government wants this buffer zone, they can give us the market price and we will leave."

Also Read: Mumbai: Internal changes, says Narayan Rane as Juhu home is dressed in green

Moves so far

"We have discussed the issue with some construction experts who said we can repair the building. But given the fact that it is a coastal area, temporary repairs will not stand strong for a long period and it will eventually be necessary to construct a new building," Lakdawala added.

Another resident Santosh Sawant said, "We had met the late Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and had received positive feedback. But after him, we did not get expected responses from anyone else."

"We called this meeting to discuss the issue, create awareness and seek solutions to the age-old problem," he said.

When asked if the signalling station is operational, Sawant said, "As far as we know, it is not in operation. However, no official information is available from the ministry of defence."

MLASpeak

Local MLA Ameet Satam, who attended the meeting, assured the residents that he would follow up on the issue. "I have already discussed this issue with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis and I am also in talks with some officials. The locals have my full support, but since the issue is related to defence, there are limitations. The area has about 40,000 residents and I am confident that we will soon find a solution," Satam said.

mid-day tried to reach the Defence Public Relations Officer, but there were no responses.

Buffer zone

Restrictions on construction have been imposed under a Defence Ministry provision, which came into effect in 1976. The notification is drawn from the provision of the Works of Defence Act, 1903. As per the rule, 500 yards surrounding the signalling station needs to be a buffer zone. However, objections started coming after 2009 when buildings started going for redevelopment.