Mumbai: A couple of developers and 56 others involved in a slum rehabilitation and redevelopment project in Sion Koliwada have been booked after slum residents complained that 40-50 people came knocking at their doors and demolished several homes by the time the police intervened. The affected families are trying to find temporary accommodation while the matter is addressed.
The project, pending since 2006, involves a mix of residential and commercial structures at Sion Koliwada. According to the complainant Harjeetsingh Sehgal, on Thursday, several people including bouncers came knocking at their doorstep informing them that the developer, Rajendra Rajan of TransIndia has asked them to demolish their homes. Sehgal added that they had arrived with equipment as well. “Even before we could call the police to intervene, they had demolished not only my home but also 9 others,” said Sehgal.
The accused in the case have been identified as Rajendra Rajan (Founder, TransIndia Group), Surjit Singh Arora, Raghu and 54 other unidentified people. In Sehgal’s complaint he has accused them of criminal trespass, house-trespass, committing mischief and loss of over ₹1 lakh, intention of causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, criminal intimidation armed with any deadly weapon or anything that can be used as a weapon to cause death, being members of an unlawful assembly, rioting and intentionally co-operating in the offence.
Sehgal’s complaint also states that the project has changed hands from the earlier AB Builder and Developers to TransIndia. “As is mandatory, instead of paying us rent for two years, the developer has given us rent for only six months,” said Sehgal, adding that the redevelopment plan, and its Annexure 2, which lists the slum dwellers who will get rehabilitated, has also been changed.
Sehgal alleged that one of the representatives of the developer, who visited their houses on Thursday, even threatened to kill him. He added that he and other residents of the area had been raising complaints with the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) for several years now with the hope of getting justice.
The accused developers and the founder of TransIndia Group did not respond to HT’s calls or messages.