Mumbai: Sea-facing is passe, illegal homes come up in water

The unauthorised huts built on the sea water, at Lakdi Bunder port in Sewri, on Tuesday. Pic/Sameer Markande

The encroachment in Mumbai Port Trust has spread across the land and into the sea. Tiny huts made of metal sheets stand atop bamboo poles along the coast, inhabited by thousands of people who are staring at impending disaster. However, to them, a roof over their head matters more than a tragedy. During a visit to the site, mid-day counted 50-odd huts and a toilet at Kolsa Bunder and Kawla Bunder.

mid-day visited the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and spoke to the slum dwellers, who admitted that most of the huts get flooded during high tides.

"The encroachment has reached a dangerous level. The slums have left the land behind and ventured into the sea. These slums were damaged a couple of times due to high tides, but the residents fixed them back up," said an officer from Sewri police station.

"The lives of the slum dwellers are at risk, as their houses are balanced on just bamboo poles. There is no other support to secure the huts," the officer added.

Locals said most of the huts get flooded during high tides. Pic/Sameer Markande

Police said they have informed the MbPT about the encroachment multiple times, but the port authorities have taken no action.

MbPT holds a massive portion of the land, spanning from Colaba to Sewri, and has several ports in the east coast of the city - Kawla Bunder, Powder Bunder, Lakda Bunder, Hay Bunder, Haji Bunder and Fer Bunder. The shanties on the sea have a mixed population of south Indians, Muslims and Marathi-speaking people. mid-day spoke to some of the inhabitants, and one of them, requesting anonymity, said, "We are living here for years and nobody objected to us until now. MbPT should tell us where we should go if they want to demolish our houses."

They have even built a toilet for the women at the bay. A woman, who lives in one of the huts along the coast, said, "We have electricity meters and a water connection. Who says we are illegal? Even living in a building is dangerous, as it may fall. There is the same risk here. We are poor so we have built a house where we can afford."

When questioned about the encroachment, local MLA Yamini Jadhav said she doesn't wish to speak on the matter because of the "current political scenario and her ailing health".

MbPT Chairman Rajiv Jalota did not answer to this paper's calls and messages for comment, while the port's public relations officer claimed she was not authorised to speak to the media on this issue.

Water, garbage our job: BMC

Assistant Municipal Commissioner (E ward) Kiran Dighavkar said, "The BMC is just responsible for providing the facilities like water and collection of garbage from the area. MbPT is an autonomous body, hence the encroachment and other issues are related to them.

About the port trust

MbPT is an autonomous body formed by the Union government, under the Ministry of Shipping, to look after the Mumbai Harbour and all the associated activities. It has been the principal gateway to India since its inception, and has played an active role in the development of the national economy.

MbPT was India's first step into advanced marine trading. It has also developed specialised docks for handling POL (Port of Loading) and chemicals in the port. It was designed to handle general cargo, but over the years, it has adapted to the upcoming shipping trends and is presently considered one of the most important ports in India. The Maratha Navy, the British and the Portuguese colonial navies used it. The first berth was built in the 1870s.