The Times of India               19.06.2013

BMC files FIR against residents who resist eviction bid

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has filed FIRs against 25 residents of 11 dilapidated buildings on a municipal plot in Byculla, who resisted the BMC's attempts to evict them.

After the Mahim building crash that killed 10 people, the municipal commissioner issued a circular saying all buildings on municipal plots and marked 'extremely dangerous' should be vacated by June 15. He added that assistant municipal commissioners will be held responsible for accidents in such buildings if they are not vacated.

Across the city, 77 buildings have been identified as extremely dangerous, most of them are in Byculla. On June 15, a civic team went to the 11 buildings in Kanjarwada, built in the 1970's, to disconnect water and electricity connections to compel the 236 residents to vacate the crumbling structures. But 25 residents resisted the officials after which the BMC filed a police complaint against them on Monday, for obstructing public servants.

"Police will take further action against the residents," said additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta.

"We have lived all our life in Byculla, our children study there. The BMC is asking us to shift to a transit camp in Chembur. It's very difficult to relocate now, besides there is no guarantee the building will be rebuilt soon. We don't want to languish in a transit camp for the rest of our lives," said a resident of the building.

The BMC is finding it extremely difficult to evict people from dilapidated buildings though it is trying everything from filing complaints to threatening the residents who may be BMC employees to losing their job if they don't vacate the buildings.