Mumbai: A 20-year long wait for Mhada‘s transit accommodation by 11 families of Vikhroli‘s Kannamwar Nagar resulted in a curious outcome last Friday. An unidentified woman showered currency notes worth Rs 6,500 outside the chamber of the joint chief officer (Jt CO) of the repair and reconstruction board at Mhada’s headquarters in Bandra East to press this demand. The woman herself is not one of the affected applicants, claimed the board.
Mhada VP and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal has instituted a committee to investigate the incident. The committee will review the eligibility of the 11 applicants and submit its report within 15 days.
A Mhada spokesperson said, “The incident occurred on Feb 14, when the woman arrived at the Jt CO’s chamber wearing a garland of currency notes. She raised the demand for transit tenements for these 11 families. Suddenly, she began strewing the banknotes in his office. These amounted to Rs 6,500. She was accompanied by a man who was filming the proceedings. As Mhada’s security personnel tried to prevent him, she threatened that if they thwarted him, she would jump through the window and commit suicide. They had to step back and she managed to record the episode.”
Mhada said the woman, whose name was not released, was pressing the demand for alternative accommodation by 11 applicants from Vikhroli Kannamwar Nagar’s transit camp. These individuals had applied for tenements in place of dilapidated structures in Bldg no. 12, 13, and 14, which were demolished as part of the redevelopment process. “They were perhaps unable to furnish proper documentation, including the letter of evacuation. The committee will investigate,” said the spokesperson.
Mhada has earlier carried out temporary relocation for eligible residents of such structures under the redevelopment policy, ensuring their safety. Temporary transit accommodations were granted in July 2020, March 2021, June 2021, and Oct 2021 based on eligibility criteria. “However, the 11 applicants in question were not residing in the affected structures at the time and had not been included in previous allocations. Given the complexities involved, a thorough verification of their claims was deemed necessary.”
“Since the matter holds policy implications, the committee will assess the legitimacy of the applications. The review will examine why these individuals were not provided with transit accommodation earlier, despite their claims. Following the verification, a decision on their eligibility and subsequent allocation will be made based on Mhada’s policies and regulations,” the board said.
