Events & Personalities
Dishoused by Metro?
While thousands await the advent of the Metro transport system in Bombay, some elderly Parsis residing in the Chira Bazar area fear that they will be deprived of their homes as a result, reported The Times of India (TOI) on March 27, 2015. To facilitate the construction of the proposed Metro III stations at Kalbadevi and Girgaum, the residents of Karim Manzil, most of whom are Parsis, were informed by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) that their building would be "temporarily razed.” The stunned residents, determined to fight to save their homes, have approached Shiv Sena leaders for help, notes TOI.
"We have been living here for generations and now they want to throw us out. Most residents are senior citizens, where will they go? We don’t need the Metro; the government should look for an alternative” site, said a resident. Since the Marine Lines and Charni Road railway stations are located nearby, these should be used instead, they told TOI. Hilla Dubash, 84, said, "I am shocked by the plan. My daughter and I have been living here for many years and had recently renovated our house. They should not force us to move, but look for alternative locations.”
However, in Business Standard of April 4, 2015, MMRC’s managing director Ashwini Bhide clarified: "We have already started communicating directly with the people… to clear their doubts… Their concerns have already been factored in while designing the project…We assure that unless we work out a systematic plan for residents’ in situ rehabilitation with necessary approvals, no building will be demolished and no family will be evicted.”
"We have been living here for generations and now they want to throw us out. Most residents are senior citizens, where will they go? We don’t need the Metro; the government should look for an alternative” site, said a resident. Since the Marine Lines and Charni Road railway stations are located nearby, these should be used instead, they told TOI. Hilla Dubash, 84, said, "I am shocked by the plan. My daughter and I have been living here for many years and had recently renovated our house. They should not force us to move, but look for alternative locations.”
However, in Business Standard of April 4, 2015, MMRC’s managing director Ashwini Bhide clarified: "We have already started communicating directly with the people… to clear their doubts… Their concerns have already been factored in while designing the project…We assure that unless we work out a systematic plan for residents’ in situ rehabilitation with necessary approvals, no building will be demolished and no family will be evicted.”
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