As monsoon batters Garib Nagar, only 16 families to get rehab homes this week | Mumbai News

“There is water coming in from everywhere,” said resident Shekhar Awale. “Some people have stayed because they have nowhere else to go or cannot afford rent. My five year old daughter is with relatives, but my wife and I continue to stay here.”

The rehabilitation process has finally moved forward after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) approved housing for the 100 eligible beneficiaries identified in a 2021 survey. However, only 16 flats are immediately available.

“Sixteen flats in Building 22 at HDIL Kurla will be allotted through a lottery within a week,” an MMRDA official said. “The remaining families will be shifted to the Bhandary Metallurgy rehabilitation building in Chunabhatti. Since the building is awaiting its Occupation Certificate, it will take about another month before residents can move in.”

The demolition drive in May saw around 500 of nearly 600 structures cleared to make way for railway infrastructure linked to the 5th and 6th rail lines and station works. While around 100 residents were declared eligible for rehabilitation, many have spent the past several weeks living in unsafe conditions as the monsoon intensified.

To make the remaining structures habitable, Western Railway has started repairing homes that were partially damaged during the demolition. Other residents have covered exposed roofs with plastic sheets. Some electricity connections have been restored, while others remain disconnected due to pending dues.

Basic amenities continue to be makeshift. The BMC is supplying water through tankers and has deployed a mobile toilet, which residents say is grossly inadequate for those still living on the site.

“It is difficult living in these rooms when the rain comes straight in, but people have no option,” said resident Suhail Sayed.

Residents have also questioned whether some names included among the 100 beneficiaries are genuine, but say their immediate concern is surviving the monsoon and securing the rehabilitation homes already promised to them. Another 25 residents who approached the Supreme Court on the day of the demolition are still awaiting a decision on their rehabilitation.