Golibar Redevelopment Project

[williemore]

wait a minute... "illegally taking over their slums for redevelopment"... really? wat a paradox...

[sixsigma1978]

Looks like lots of cleanup has been done (as of the Feb 2011 update in google maps).
Medha Patkar seems to have crippled this redevelopment project to a crawl. But the progress is still heartening!!


as of Jan 2011


as of Feb 2011

[tryindiffdrugsngirls]

I hope medha patkar crawls into a shit hole and die. I didnt knew what was happening in 2001 with narmada bachao and stuff. now I know it was this same curse that active back then as well

[sixsigma1978]

Shows just how much of a pain in the ass is Medha Patkar. After Narmada, lavasa, Golibar, she headed out to Kodankulam to protest against The Nuclear Plant. I guess Mumbai govt is taking advantage of her absence to get the job done!!!

Nine months later, govt resumes demolition of Golibar slums

Almost nine months after the government halted the demolition activities at Mumbai’s Golibar slums following protests by social activist Medha Patkar, the collector’s office restarted the drive and demolished 14 houses on Wednesday. The authorities demolished 13 of the 42 houses to which it had served notice, said officials.

According to Avinash Dhakane, controller of encroachments (housing), “We demolished 13 houses and plan to carry out the demolition of the rest in the next few days. The notices for the same were issued to the residents last week”.

Last year in May, the collector’s office had halted demolition citing lack of police protection, although residents had claimed that the move came after Patkar went on an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the demolitions.

A section of the residents has been protesting against the demolitions in Golibar slum area where 140 acres have been handed to a private builder. But another section of residents has been supportive of the redevelopment move.

Source : Link

[jinka sreekanth]

At Golibar, 600 families fear eviction

With the expiry of the five-year lease of three buildings at Golibar transit camp, activists are preparing to launch a protest if the nearly 600 families are asked to vacate the premises.

Syed Mushtaq Ahmed, 45, a tailor, said, “We have heard that Mhada will serve us the notice any day now. I don’t know where my family will go if we are asked to leave. As it is our homes were taken away. Now we will lose our homes again.”

Five years ago, residents of Ganesh Krupa Society in Santa Cruz’s Golibar slums were moved to this temporary transit camp by the builder Shivalik Ventures during the redevelopment drive in the area on the promise of new homes.

Syed Zubair, who owned a garment shop, complained that in addition to the problem of the expiry of the lease, transit camp residents are also being cheated of their rent allowance, which serves as compensation by the builder.

“Some of us have not received rent for five or six months. I’m supposed to get a minimum of Rs9,000 for my commercial establishment but they gave me Rs7,000 only because I’m heading the revolt here.”

The transit camp, which consists of 10x15ft 26 to 28 rooms on seven floors, poses several problems for its inhabitants, including poor sanitation facilities, unsafe structure, leakage problems, corroded ceilings, worm-infested water and non-functional lifts.

To make matters worse, the building meant to rehabilitate the displaced families is disputed property, with the ministry of defence claiming rights on the land and having filed a case in high court in this regard.

“After filing several RTIs, we found out that the builder forged signatures to get approval for this SRA project. We know our rights and we will not stop protesting,” said activist Prerna Gaikwad and added, “The CAG report clearly states that the project is fraudulent, so the lease will automatically be invalid. The whole project should be scrapped.”

CEO of Shivalik Ventures, Ramakant Jadhav said, “We have submitted the application for an extension.”

When DNA asked him when the submission was done, Jadhav replied, “I am not a computer, I don’t remember. Lease will continue till the SRA project lasts.”

source

[sixsigma1978]

Golibar slum rehabilitation takes off

Many a glitch later, the controversial revamp of Golibar slums at Santa Cruz is finally taking shape, with the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) officials handing over house keys to nearly 228 families at a low-key function on Wednesday. The residents were also allocated the photo-passes on the occasion.

The Golibar slum rehab project is the second biggest of its kind. Spread over 28 acres, the Golibar area is one of the biggest slum pockets housing 7,000 slum dwellers, who must live amid the most congested conditions, with a single access road.

However, post-redevelopment residents are likely to get almost 6.73acres, which will include wide roads, a 3,200sqft playground, a primary and a secondary school, a library,a maternity hospital and two dispensaries. On Wednesday too, families headed by widows, blind or physically challenged were allotted houses on the ground or lower floors, as per SRA rules.

“Had the redevelopment of these 46 small units been undertaken by multiple developers, then it would have been a mammoth, and probably impossible, task to rehabilitate all the dwellers in the 6.73 acres or the 1,500 dwellers staying in Ambewadi, Shiv Sagar etc., on the land reserved for the open playground,” said Kiran Jadhav of Shivalik Ventures, the developer of the project.

The Golibar SRA project has seen many a hiccup following agitations led by social activist Medha Patkar, who alleged that the rehabilitation was being done on navy land. How can navy land be developed under the SRA project, she asked. However, Jadhav clarified thatthe government has advised SRA to obtain an NOC from the defence ministry and central excise department, whose plots flank the one allotted to SRA for rehabilitating the Golibar slums.

Stating that the SRA had not approved any redevelopment project on the land belonging to the Airports Authority of India in Santa Cruz (East), Jadhav said, “Our redevelopment projectis on a completely different plot.

Source : Link

[sixsigma1978]

But for Medha Patkar - this would've been a much faster endeavor! Still, some is better than none!

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.

Source : Link

[devendra1]

atleast they should have been allowed to collect their belongings. They are accumulated from their lifetime savings.

[Yagya]

Slum Demolitions In Mumbai Remain A Bone Of Contention

As demolitions continue in Mumbai’s Golibar, its residents continue to resist what they argue is “illegal eviction”

Golibar situated in Khar (East) is the second largest slum in Mumbai. The residents, over the last few years have learnt to live with the constant threat of being rendered homeless, overnight. Yesterday, once again without any prior notification, seven houses were completely razed while an eighth one was partially demolished. Residents, along with activist Medha Patkar, who tried to prevent the demolitions, were picked up by the police. In all, 21 people were picked up at 2:30 PM and released late at night. No case has been registered.

The nature of these demolitions, starting from 2005, is what is leading activists and residents to term it as “illegal”. Residents claim that the builders and the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) present at the site of demolition failed to provide a demolition order. The Mumbai High Court had been approached by the residents in 2010 stating that they had not appointed Shivalik Ventures as their builders and that the 70% consent required to go ahead with the demolitions that the builders had provided was forged. Reacting to this case, the High Court had directed that no resettlement can take place until MHADA certifies that the transit camps are suitable for habitation. The High Court had instructed that a copy of these certificates should also be available for the affected residents. No such certificate has been delivered yet.

Until today, out of the 12,750 houses that have been demolished, only 1,250 affected people have been given rehabilitation. The transit camps are one-room flats with thin walls and no ventilation. The washrooms and toilets are shared. Obviously, not many are thrilled. Says Krishna Nayyar, a resident who has been involved with the resistance, “We were happy where we were. We do not want this kind of development where we have to trade our lives for transit camps that are barely livable. We are not against development; we want the right kind of development.”

Shivalik Ventures, a construction company, has ‘acquired’ 125 acres of land, affecting 26,500 people at Golibar. The residents were first served a notice in 2010 for evictions. The saga goes back to 2003 when as part of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, residents of Ganesh Krupa Society roped in Madhu Constructions to rehabilitate them. In 2008, Madhu Constructions transferred the right to Shivalik Ventures for redeveloping the society, without informing the affected community.

Talking to Tehelka, Satish Gavai, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of MHADA said, “The demolition took place after due process. SRA has given the certificate stating that the transit camps are fit for habitation.” Refusing to comment on why only 1,250 people had been rehabilitated despite 26,500 houses having been demolished, he said, “That the SRA needs to answer.” The SRA was not available for comment.

source

[sixsigma1978]

Good riddance IMO.

Social activist Medha Patkar arrested in Golibar slum

MUMBAI: In a series of illegal actions against the urban poor in Mumbai, the city police came down heavily on MedhaPatkar and a group of people resisting the illegal evictions at Golibar, Khar (East).

Other active local residents including PrernaGaikwad, Ajit and 20 men and women have also been arrested today afternoon. Those protesting have been beaten up very badly by the police and goons on behalf of Shivalik Builders, in the presence of MHADA engineers and officials.


The latest information is that at least ten houses have been demolished at Golibar (Khar East). A posse of police vehicles and JCB machines are still at the place and the demolition drive is still on.

The bulldozers at Golibar, a 50 year old slum are once again out to demolish and evict the slum dwellers who have been fighting the corruption and land grab by a builder. In the past the slum dwellers have repeatedly opposed and exposed the illegal acts of the private developers who are all out to grab the land. It was only after the expose that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra scrapped the two 3K projects.

Source : Link

[sixsigma1978]

43 houses pulled down in Golibar slum

43 houses were pulled down at the Golibar slum here on Wednesday, under the supervision of the Collector’s office.

The activists of the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) have alleged that Shivalik Ventures, which develops the prime property of 125 acres called Golibar, carried out the demolition in connivance with government officials.

The Golibar project has been marred by a controversy for the past five years after it was alleged that Shivalik Ventures forged documents to secure the consent of the slum-dwellers for the demolition of the houses, built for rehabilitation on the Railways and the Defence Ministry land.

The Defence Ministry has approached the court, claiming its right to the land, and the Railways have taken an undertaking that the buildings will be demolished whenever it requires the land back.

On Tuesday, Mr. Maken wrote to the Chief Minister saying: “I, however, would request you to … ensure that wherever, as in these six Slum Rehabilitation Scheme … projects under inquiry, there are prima facie illegality, no irreversible damage or eviction of residents should be permitted to be done with police force — the aim solely being that of protecting the already marginalised urban poor.” Golibar is one of the six projects which have come under the inquiry.

However, government officials said they did not receive any instruction from the Chief Minister’s office. “If the letter has been sent to the Chief Minister, his office will send the necessary reply to the [Union] Ministry. However, we did not get any order from our higher-ups. We are working as per the court orders,” said P.R. Rokade, Deputy Collector (Encroachment Removal).

Sumit Wajale of the NAPM alleged that the officials were working for the builders and not the government.

Source : Link