Delay tactic: SC nixes petition of residents, clears project

BHARAT NAGAR SLUM REDEVPT | Top court upholds HC order which backed SRA's eviction; calls petitioners' fence-sitters as they weren't party before HC

- Urvi Mahajani

The Supreme Court has paved the way for the redevelopment of the Bharat Nagar slum in Bandra, dismissing an appeal by a section of residents. Upholding the Bombay High Court's (HC) order, the top court observed that the dwellers were resorting to "dilatory tactics" to stall the project.

Some had opposed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme, claiming they were Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) tenants and not slum dwellers. Before the matter reached the top court, the SRA had informed the HC that 2,965 slum structures were surveyed, with 2,625 found eligible for rehabilitation. More than 70% of eligible residents had already consented. M/s Foremost Realtors Private Limited is helming the project.

Some appellants, who were initially ineligible, were later granted eligibility but rejected the accommodation offered, demanding redevelopment by MHADA instead. "Their motive is clear — they seek larger accommodation under MHADA's scheme rather than the standard rehabilitation housing offered to slum dwellers," the SC observed.