Around 70 residents of Ganpat Nagar, Dahisar and Ambujwadi, Appapada, Damu Nagar and Jamrushi Nagar, Malad, visited the Mayor’s Bungalow at Shivaji Park to meet mayor Sunil Prabhu and ask him to intervene and stop the demolition of their homes on Wednesday evening.
The complaint letters that the residents submitted to the officials stated that they were Indian citizens and had been voting and living in the slums for decades and hence, had a right to food and shelter under the Indian Constitution.
“We just missed the mayor by five minutes but we spoke to him on the phone. He has asked us to meet him at the BMC headquarters on Thursday at noon,” said the head of the Apli Mumbai delegation, which initiated the meeting on the people’s behalf.
The letter also made demands to the office of the mayor. “Withdraw the demolition notices for January 10 for Ganpat Nagar and Ambujwadi, provide alternative accommodation to the displaced and give the people their constitutional rights were the demands,” said an activist.
After accepting the residents’ complaints, an official at the Mayor’s Bungalow told DNA, “We will ensure justice but so far there is no stay on the demolition.”
