Residents of Campa Cola compound fight to save their homes
Over 100 families in Mumbai's "Campa Cola" compound locked their gates on Tuesday and barricaded themselves inside for hours as they desperately fought to keep their home of two decades.
Asked to vacate their illegal flats in the high-rise complex in south Mumbai, the families resolutely blocked dozens of civic and police officers for hours until they finally allowed them in, without the bulldozers and the demolition squad.
14 civic teams have begun inspecting the flats as a prelude to eviction that now seems inevitable. Soon, they will start disconnecting water and electricity.
102 flats are to be demolished after the Supreme Court declared them illegal. The court's deadline to vacate the flats ended on Monday.
The residents pinned their diminishing hopes on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who today asked the Centre's top lawyer, the Attorney General, whether an ordinance - or an executive order - can save the homes.
Seven high-rises were constructed at the Campa Cola Compound between 1981 and 1989. The builders had permission for only five floors, but constructed several more. One of the buildings, Midtown, has 20 floors. Another building, Orchid, has 17.
The residents have been fighting a legal battle since 2005, when they first went to court for water supply and regularization, and ended up being served demolition notices for flats above the fifth floor. Residents say they were duped by the builders and are paying for it.
Their long and difficult fight won political support even though the opposition Shiv Sena heads the civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the ruling Congress is cautious about skirting court orders.
"The Supreme Court's order is very tough, a harsh one. It will have to be implemented. All parties have asked the residents to cooperate with the BMC and police authorities," said Milind Deora, the Congress MP from Mumbai South.