Mumbai: People uprooted by Santa Cruz Chembur Link Road have yet not got homes

Mumbai waited almost a decade for a smoother ride between Santacruz and Chembur and got it last year in the form of the Santacruz Chembur Link Road. But several Mumbaikars displaced by the project have waited for twice as long to get permanent accommodation, but the promises have not yet fructified. More than 565 locals displaced due to the construction are still languishing without a home to call their own.

Of this, around 262 families are from Tilak Nagar. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) are yet to complete the civil works of their residential blocks.

A few months ago, MMRDA had told the residents that their buildings would be ready by October 2014. "Now they tell us the building should be ready by April, but a lot of work is still pending. We doubt if all the civil works would be completed in just two months, alongside securing the occupation certification (OC)," said project-affected residents, wishing not to be named.

A senior MMRDA official, however, is confident about meeting the deadline this time. The official said the two buildings with multiple wings will be ready by March-end, and would be followed by the completion of other formalities like securing the OC.

The SCLR, which has the first double-decker flyover of the city, was opened for motorists on April 18. However, various issues related to rehabilitating the displaced persons continues. In some cases, the rehabilitation and resettlement has not reached a closure even thought the project dragged through a decade.

The 64 families of Netaji Nagar in Kurla are also waiting for thee permanent houses the authorities are legally bound to give them. It is uncertain if they will get accommodation at the slum rehabilitation (SRA) buildings in Bandra Kurla Complex, or not.

As reported by dna on May 18, 2014, 239 families living next to Amar Mahal Junction in Chembur are still homeless, thanks to bureaucratic bucking. These 239 families were residing in slums. They have now been homeless for close to two decades.