500 Dadar families left stranded as redevelopment work stops

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Around 500 families living in Dadar, one of Mumbai’s most crowded areas, have been left stranded with neither roofs on their heads nor money to sustain themselves.

These families, which mainly belong to the middle and lower income groups, are languishing after the builders redeveloping their properties, stopped paying them money for alternate accommodation.

Around 8 buildings near Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar were demolished in 2013 after three separate builders had taken up redevelopment of that land in 2012.

According to the residents, builders who were earlier paying around Rs 30,000 a month per family as rent for accommodation, have now stopped paying. Considering that most families don’t have an adequate income, they are unable to afford rent for monthly accommodation.

Although most have stopped receiving the rent money recently, a few families have been devoid of the rent amount since March 2015.

In addition to not paying rent money, the builders have also stopped redevelopment work. Three years after the buildings were demolished, the builders have only been able to erect the outer structure of the building.

The residents have also written letters to the CM in past informing him about their condition. However, their plights have fallen on deaf ears.