Residents of Campa Cola compound fighting to save their homes in November 2013.
Time has run out for residents of Mumbai's Campa Cola society to save their homes from demolition. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, "Nothing can be done in Campa Cola case. Law will take its own course. Campa Cola's residents need to vacate illegal flats. The flats will be demolished soon."
This on a day when singer Lata Mangeshkar, who owns a flat in one of the buildings, tweeted, "I want to say only one thing to the Maharashtra government with regards the Campa Cola compound. If the homes of these residents are razed, thousands of people will be rendered homeless, that includes children and senior citizens."
She also said that it is unfair that citizens have to bear the brunt of mistakes committed by builders.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sent notices to owners of illegal flats to hand over keys to the civic body between June 10 and June 12. Residents will have to move out by June 12.
While the Supreme Court has decided on the demolition of 96 illegal flats on 35 illegal floors at the Campa Cola compound, residents are hoping against hope for a solution that will save their homes. With monsoons approaching, it is unlikely that demolition will start immediately and residents say they will fight for their homes for as long as they can.
The residents are now planning to pitch tents in the compound itself and stay in the compound till the BMC forces them out.
Nandini Mehta, a resident of Campa Cola Compound says, "There is definitely a stench of some builders, because there is a huge amount of land behind and we are prime Worli with 13000 square meters of land here, which is amounting to Rs 1500-200 crore."
Last year the Supreme Court had ordered that families must vacate the illegal apartments by May 31 so that the illegal floors can be demolished. But the residents did not surrender keys of their flats to the BMC even though the civic body issued a notice stating that they might have to face legal consequences if they did not do so.