Mumbai: PAP homeless as BMC clears path to Gokhale

The BMC on Wednesday morning demolished the structures obstructing the movement of machinery for the construction of Gokhale bridge However the four residents eligible for alternative accommodation have alleged that they hadnrsquot got any place till the time their homes were demolished and that civic officials kept them running from pillar to postThere were around 30 structures which needed to be removed for manoeuvring machinery for the construction of Gokhale bridge and on Wednesday the BMC demolished 28 of thesemdash13 residential and 15 commercialmdash to make wayldquoOn Tuesday they gave us a random address of PAP houses on Pandit M Kulkarni Road in Borivli We went there confirmed the homes and told the BMC officials about our decision But we were then told that the houses were not available They started the demolition around 1030 am without giving us alternative accommodationrdquo said Navina Bane daughter of Sakhubai Kangne 60 who is eligible for accommodation Last month the BMC had offered them homes in Jogeshwari which they declinedldquoThe BMC officials gave us two wrong addresses in Borivli We searched for two hours to get to the right location We didnrsquot have much energy and were ready to shift to the first location we got But then the official said that the houses get booked online by other wardsrdquo said Haji son of Aaisha Sherif He added that on Wednesday they were asked to collect the keys to the Borivli West PAP accommodations at 330 pm ldquoWe didnrsquot visit the site but were ready to accept the accommodation as they already demolished our houses But then they delayed again and asked us to come at 530 pmhellip we are still on the roadsrdquoWhen midday visited the site on August 29 Sakhubai said civic officials demolished a part of her home in July saying they would provide an alternative home ldquoBut we have been kept waiting for six months after the notice was served in March The wall of my house collapsed after a huge machine came in contact with it a week agordquo she saidAlso read Dahi Handi 2023 BMC keeps 125 beds ready at civic hospitals to treat injured GovindasAnother resident Husaina Sherif also alleged that the BMC wasnrsquot ready to provide alternative homes Manish Valanju assistant commissioner KEast ward said the process of allotment of PAP houses in Borivli is ongoing and it will be completed shortly At 830 pm Navina Bane said they still hadnrsquot received any house keys and that BMC officials were now pressuring them to take a home at OshiwraLocals set deadline for completion of workThe BMC closed the Gokhale bridge near Andheri railway station in the first week of November 2022 and claimed that it would open at least two lanes before the monsoon However the deadline has been getting pushed further since then The BMC razed a few structures partially in midJuly But the work of construction was halted after part of one structure collapsed during the movement of a huge craneNow local residents have started an online 90day deadline starting Wednesday September 6 for the completion of two lanes and requested local MLA Ameet Satam to conduct fortnightly visits to the site and ensure there are no more delaysDhaval Shah founder of Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association said ldquoThe BMC gave us a timeline of 90 days including around 30 days for assembly of girders around 15 days for shifting launching and lowering the girders and approximately 40 days for the construction of cement concrete road surface before opening it for traffic Considering external issues like Railway block the deadline of November end doesnrsquot seem achievablerdquo28No of structures demolished