Campa Cola compound mess revisited: Flat buyers lived in the hope that they would get occupation certificates in due course

Byculla

Rahat Manzil

Bombay High Court

BMC

Sheeba

Sahebrao Gaikwad

‘Our trust has been betrayed’

It was a black Sunday for 72 families who had purchased one BHK flats in Byculla’s, which was completely razed yesterday following a five-year legal battle with the BMC. The residents were evicted from their homes in March after theruled that the building was illegal and allowed theto go ahead with the demolition, but they lived on in the hope that the BMC and the court will show leniency, and that local politicians would come to their help.Almost all residents had purchased one BHK flats and one-room-kitchen blocks, measuring between 260 sq ft and 350 sq ft, in the groundplus- six storey building for as less as Rs 15 lakh (the costliest flat in the building cost Rs 35 lakh) around six years ago. They realised they had been duped only a year later, when the BMC first issued them notices regarding illegal construction. The building had come up on a 500 sq mt plot, one of the many such structures dotting the stretch between Byculla and Mazgaon. Locals sarcastically call these structures ‘China’ buildings, comparing them to cheap goods manufactured in China, which come without guarantees.The residents said the building was constructed by at least four partners, who assured them that their homes were safe. Even after the police registered a first information report (FIR) against the builders and the plot owners, the residents were told that the court will never rule against them. To win the residents’ confidence, the builders made some of them shell out more money in the guise of stamp duty registration fees.Shaikh, a 28-year-old single mother of two, was made to pay the ‘stamp duty registration fee’ of Rs 1.9 lakh for her flat for which she paid Rs 35 lakh. Eight months after she moved in in her “own house”, she realised she had lost everything to one big hoax.Residents say Rahat Manzil was constructed within a couple of months; it was fully demolished yesterday, after a five-year legal battle between residents and BMC; Residents after the building’s demolition yesterday; PIC: RAJU SHINDE“I had taken a home loan for which I’m paying the EMI. Now I have shifted to a tiny room in Kurla for which I’m paying a monthly rent of Rs 8,000. I still feel this is a bad dream from which I will wake up,” Sheeba said.Several residents said they stayed on footpaths and railway platforms for a few weeks after being evicted, and their children used the public toilets to get ready for school. Most of them are now at the mercy of their relatives, while in the case of one couple, the wife is living with a relative while the husband has found shelter inside a mosque.One such resident, 60-year-old Sajid Mohammad wanted his family to live comfortably, hence he purchased two flats for Rs 30 lakh each. Now, he and his family have nowhere to go. “The builders fooled us by showing bogus documents. I’ll not spare the builders. They have taken away my lifetime’s savings, now I’ll take them to court,” Mohammad said.The BMC officials said till the time citizens buy rogue developers’ cheap flat stories, they’ll continue to get fleeced. Assistant Municipal Commissioner, in whose jurisdiction the structure comes, said home buyers should start to worry the moment someone offers them homes at rates cheaper than the market price. “Citizens should verify the approved building plan and ensure there is RERA registration. Sadly, scores of people are still falling for cheap flats trick,” Gaikwad. He said the debris from the demolition will remain at the spot for a few days to ensure the builders don’t come up with a new structure.Meanwhile, Mehraj Abdul Gaffar, one of the owners of the plot on which Rahat Manzil came up, told this newspaper that he was working out a solution. When asked specifically whether the flat buyers were told he didn’t have the permission to construct the building, Gaffar said, “I am in talks with the affected parties.”I have an 11-year-old daughter who is physically challenged. I worked day and night to secure her future, and what better way than buying a property for her. Hence, I purchased this flat using up whatever money I had. The builders assured me everything was fine. Our trust has been betrayed.”