Six houses razed at Golibar SRA site

Six houses were pulled down in a demolition drive at Golibar in Khar (East) on Friday afternoon under heavy police security even as residents alleged that they were not served notices beforehand.

A total of seven houses were to be demolished and the remaining one will be pulled down on Saturday. Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) officials at the site refused to show the demolition order for the seven houses.

The police, on the other hand, had documents to prove that Mhada officials had approached them on December 24 requesting protection during the drive. “We have the necessary documents and are complying with authorities,” said a senior police officer from Nirmal Nagar police station.

“I have been living here for 20 years. No notice was given to me. Notices were served only for four structures and they were notices which were issued in November. The police didn’t allow us to retrieve our belongings and held us back,” said a woman and mother of two children.
Residents, who are fighting a case against the construction firm Shivalik Ventures in the high court, were expecting that authorities will follow the directives of the high court.

“The judge had asked for a compliance report about the transit camp that residents are supposed to move to post demolition. It has not been submitted yet. The camp is not fit to live in. Why should we leave our 40-year-old homes and move to a filthy place?” said a resident. Thirteen residents, who have been opposing the demolitions, were arrested last week and later released on bail.