File photo: A protest held by residents of Campa Cola Society
Residents of illegal flats in the Campa Cola Compound in Mumbai, who have been ordered to vacate the premises by today evening, have refused to hand over their keys.
Over 90 illegal flats in the complex, built illegally in the early 1980s, are set to be demolished.
The residents have refused to meet the deadline set by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC and threatened to pitch tents within the compound premises and stay there.
The civic body had issued notices to the owners of illegal flats to hand over their keys by 5 pm today, but the residents claim they have nowhere to go.
The BMC has warned that the residents may face legal consequences if they refuse to vacate their flats.
Last year, the Supreme Court had ordered families occupying the illegal flats to vacate the building by May 31 so that the illegal floors can be demolished.
After various hearings and extensions of demolition orders, and a final stay on it in November 2013, the residents had approached the vacation bench of the Supreme Court to ask for an extension period to allow them to stay in their homes, and also to help regularise them.
But the court on June 3 rejected their plea to stay the evacuation and ordered that residents need to vacate their flats, so that the BMC may proceed to demolish the unauthorised flats.