Mulund residents in a fix after HC order

Residents of a colony in Mumbai are heading towards a tough time.A recent ruling by the Mumbai High Court has declared several properties in the city as protected forest land. Among them is a colony in Mulund in eastern Mumbai, home to over 50,000 people. The move could render people living in these areas homeless.Ironically, this is the same piece of the land which was given to them by the President's Office in 1947 to rehabilitate those who came to India as refugees following the partition.And now, the same government wants to take the land back.The citizens are annoyed over the decision. ''Why did we come here? We were better off in Pakistan. Leaders in India promised us land and now are taking it away,'' says Pitambar Atmaramani, a resident in the Mulund colony.He left his birth country Pakistan 60 years ago to settle in Mumbai. But the High Court judgement has declared that his house in Mulund was under private forest and therefore, illegal.Pitambar feels like a refugee all over again.Atmaramani and thousands of others like him were sold 103 acres of land by the office of the President of India in 1947 which makes it difficult for them to accept that they might lose this land under the Forest Act.''This land has been given in 1947 and cannot be taken away. Does it mean that the President has committed a breach?'' says Prakash Paddikal, member of the Hillside Residents' Welfare Association.Over 50,000 residents living in this eastern suburb of Mumbai have decided to move the Supreme Court for justice.Although several buildings are being constructed close to the forest boundaries, residents of Mulund Colony feel that they were the original inhabitants of this area which has now become a real estate paradise.They also believe that their houses could, in no way, endanger wildlife.This judgement by the High Court has left thousands of residents of this suburb with a sense of loss. Not only because they might lose their shelter, but also because they feel they have contributed in creating an alternative living space for a congested city like Mumbai.
Prerana Thakurdesai
Thursday, April 3, 2008 (Mumbai)
NDTV.com