Embattled tenants

"Our eviction has awakened all of you. Smart cities cannot be made on the graves of the common man,” thundered Colaba based Pervez Cooper (pictured) who, along with others, had been evicted from commercial premises at Nazir Building in Ballard Estate last year (see "Eviction executed,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, July 21, 2015). He was speaking at a meeting of over 300 tenants of the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and other government corporations convened by the Congress Party at the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute’s Hall on April 26, 2016, to seek protection from the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, reported Mid Day on April 27, 2016.
Congress MP (Member of Parliament) Milind Deora, who presided over the meeting, "has agreed to help us by doing whatever he can. We are here as we are desperate,” said Hanif Ansari, a tenant from Colaba. "We have given up on Bharatiya Janata Party MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Raj Purohit,” he told the packed hall. Subodh Sapre of Mahim explained that "the Public Premises Act was made for government servants who did not vacate their houses. It is not meant (to be used against) the common man… But with the way MbPT is issuing notices no public body tenant is safe from eviction.” Other speakers included Deora, advocate Viren Ashar, former Colaba corporator Vinod Shekhar and MLA A. Patil. "Everyone is an unfortunate sufferer here, their fate hangs by a slender thread,” Ashar rued. Adman and theater person Alyque Padamsee limped in late and addressed the gathering on behalf of the landlords, being one himself. His stance was challenged by a member of the audience.
Those present at the meeting decided to bring the over two lakh tenants affected by MbPT eviction notices under one umbrella organization. Ahura Mehta of Wadala said, "Our building got an eviction notice a month ago. I did not know what to do. Now the formation of an umbrella organization for MbPt affected and public bodies’ tenants will help us put forward our case better.”