Kalwa man writes to Lokayukta to get back his PAP house

Jagish Yadav points to the flat he was allotted, which is now occupied by one Umesh Gupta. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Kalwa resident Jagdish Yadav, 42, and his family had to leave their home for a railway expansion project in 2013. Half a decade since, they are still awaiting relocation. Yadav got to know in 2017 that he had been allotted a home after all, but it was taken by another person, who has been residing there since. Now, an activist is helping him take his case to the Lokayukta.

Yadav and his family were asked to vacate their home near Kalwa railway station for the expansion of the 5th and 6th line. Accordingly, his house was pulled down, and MMRDA was supposed to rehabilitate Yadav and his family. Since they were not given a flat, Yadav, his wife and their two kids are currently residing at a relative's home in Parksite, Vikhroli.

They waited to get an official allotment for a few years under the project affected people scheme. When that didn't end up happening, Yadav filed a Right to Information (RTI) query into the matter in 2017. In the RTI response, Yadav got to know that someone else has already claimed the house.

"I learnt through RTI that someone called Umesh Gupta has got the allotment for the room against my name," said Yadav. According to official records, the housing unit at Nahur had indeed been allotted to Yadav. But, after tracking the case in detail Yadav observed that Gupta had allegedly submitted documents claiming to be him to get the unit. "I communicated with MMRDA several times to get the error rectified. But my pleas went unheard," said Yadav. With no positive response from MMRDA authorities, Yadav is getting help from Ghatkopar-based activist Ravi Tiwari, who has written to the Lokayukta on November 19 to get justice for Yadav.

In his letter to the Maharashtra Lokayukta M L Tahaliyani, Tiwari has alleged that the deputy collector of the social development cell did not scrutinize the documents submitted by Gupta. "Had the papers been verified thoroughly, Gupta would not have got the allotment in place of Yadav," said Tiwari. Speaking to mid-day, MMRDA's joint project director Dilip Kawatkar said, "We will investigate the matter, and take appropriate action accordingly."

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