CTBUH and RoMF opposed by Property Owner’s Association

Open letter to Editor: By Property Owner’s Association

Ref: WORLD CONFERENCE ON “REMAKING OF MUMBAI” ON 3rd TO 5Th FEBRUARY,2010 BY THE “REMAKING OF MUMBAI FEDERATION”(ROMF).

SUB: (a) Strong objection to anyone of “Remaking Of Mumbai
Federation” (ROMF) intermeddling with Private Properties.
Encourage Property Owners to redevelop properties, small clusters, involving 5-10 buildings.
Discourage large clusters, involving demolition of 600/800 or odd building as suggested by big developers and by ROMF

Respected Sir,
On behalf of The property owners Association( which was established in 1924), we wish to submit as follows:

THE VISION OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL; A HOME FOR OUR PEOPLE; A GLOBAL CITY OF DISTINCTION & MAKING MUMBAI A DREAM DESTINATION
In EIGHT Special General Meeting In 2 Years the property owner passed unanimous Resolutions to undertake redevelopment of their properties and rehouse the tenants & occupants. The said Resolution which was duly signed by its members present in the meeting have been submitted to the state of Maharashtra. More than one thousand owner are ready to forthwith undertake cluster Redevelopment proposal in the Island City of Mumbai. The right o the owner to redevelop their properties vest in the Owners only and the Property owner strongly object to anyone intermeddling with their properties INCLUDING STRANGER DEVELOPERS including the Remaking of Mumbai federation. All the owners are ready and willing to redevelop their properties.

The properties owner Association (established in1924) and representing the property Owners of Mumbai is strongly opposed to the move by the Authors of Remaking Of Mumbai Federation who was canvassing for demolition of 600-700 building in Chira Bazar / Kalbadevi area of Mumbai. The scheme propounded by them is totally impractical and will raise a tremendous hue and cry against the Government by the affected parties viz. the commercial and residential occupants and the owners of the properties.

The attempt by some builders, developers, the Remaking of Mumbai Federation and others is an exercise to pressurize the Government, through MHADA/ MCGM, to handover private properties for their development and Snatch which would be entirely unconstitutional and violative of the owners right interalia to develop their own property
We submit that-
Cluster proposal in the guise of remaking of Mumbai put by third party developers without the Property Owners consent is not lawful.
This is a move to deprive the property owners of their valuable properties running into crores of rupees for a pittance and to fill the coffers of the Developers.
Remaking sustainable Cities in the vertical age cannot be achieved by depriving the owners nor can it be at the expense of the property owners. It can only be achieved with the help of private property owners who should be permitted to undertake development of their respective properties.
Property owner Association strongly object to any presentation at the world conference of private properties in the name of Remaking Of Mumbai especially as the same is without the consent of the Owners.
Property matters for acquiring properties by MHADA / Government pending before Hon’ble Supreme Court of India before the bench of Nine Hon’ble Judges the interim orders passed earlier therein is in force any act contrary to the orders of Hon’ble Supreme court would amount to the contempt of hon’ble supreme court orders.
Person indulging in misguiding & putting cluster proposals on private properties liable to face Legal Civil & Criminal actions.

5. In 39 years (from 1969-2008) the Government , through MHADA, has only reconstructed only 442 building out of 19642 old buildings in the Island City. We strongly object the move of permit MHADA/ MCGM / Developers to overtake our properties in the name of Urban Renewal Scheme/ “ CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT” for development under DCR 33(9) and the property to be handed over to the stranger Developer for redevelopment and or stranger developers under the name and style ”Remaking Of Mumbai Federation” etc.
“The Remaking of Mumbai Federation” have an evil desire to acquire private properties at peanuts and by putting undue pressure on individual property owners. So as to fill their coffers at the expense of the property owners.

6. The property owner themselves are ready and willing to undertake redevelopment of Mumbai and convert Mumbai in World class City” and more than 1000property owners have already initiated the process of reconstructing Mumbai by rehousing of the tenants / occupants as per Rules under DCR 33(7) or DCR33(9).

The Remaking Of Mumbai Federation is proposing Remaking of “C” Ward, Chira Bazar ,etc. and want to conduct a technical tour of the “C” ward of international dignitaries,( attending the world conference organized by CTBUH and the remaking of Mumbai federation). The property owners strongly object to the said move by the Remaking of Mumbai Federeation to create and replicate projects on private properties for the development of Island cities of Mumbai. We deny that the Island of Mumbai contains over 32000 dilapidated buildings constructed prior to 1940 having population 2.5 million. We deny that the people are still living in their houses under the shadow of death.
The claim of Remaking Of Mumbai Federation that they have taken up the Herculean task of creating the WORLD CLASS MUMBAI utilizing redevelopment of old and dilapidated building in the Island of Mumbai is false and utopian statement. The said Federation has no right, title or interest over the said building which vests solely with the property owners.
The old building belonging to the Government can be taken up with the approval o the Government, as envisaged in the brochures, but definitely private property cannot be snatched away from the private property owners unless they sell their property to the Remaking of Mumbai Federation.

SUGGESTIONS:
We suggest the following:-

(A) BIG CLUSTERS INVOLVING LARGE SCALE DEMOLITION OF 600/800 BUILDING SHOULD BE AVOIDED:

The property owners strongly object intermeddling in their properties by stranger developer “Remaking of Mumbai Federation” or any other Developers of Builders.

The proposal are being floated by interested parties for large scale demolition of building numbering over 600-800 in grab of redeveloping Mumbai- widening the roads and leaving plentiful open space etc.
We strongly feel, such large scale demolition are totally impractical and it will create tremendous hue and cy against the Government and lead to untold suffering and misery of the occupants and owners whose building are targeted to be demolished.
Moreover, the large scale demolition envisaged would totally disrupt social and economic structure of the area where such large scale demolition are envisaged.
It will be appreciated that it is impossible to ask the occupants of such large numbers of building to vacate their building or even to relocate them without causing untold & undue hardships.
The area suggested for big Cluster development are mostly commercial area. The occupants will never like their business to come to a standstill. Immediate arrangement will have to be made for continuing their business uninterruptedly, which is not possible on such a large scale of demolition. The persons who are carrying o business have built goodwill over several years, which cannot be disturbed.
Background o the developers of the cluster developers needs to be properly scrutinized. The name of Shri Sukhathankar, Property owners Association have been flourished without their permission and they had to come out in the press that they have never consented to the schemes projected by the Remaking Of Mumbai Federation (ROMF).

ENCOURAGE SMALL CLUSTER BY OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY:

We are one with the Govt. that to ensure wide roads and open spaces high rise buildings would need to come into existence.
(a) We strongly feel that the only practical way is to encourage Property Owners to undertake small clusters of 4-5 plots or thereabouts. The owners thereof should come together and replace the old buildings by one/ two high rise towers etc. this would be much easier to achieve without creating a hue and cy and would not demolish the social and economic structure of the locality. Such projects would yield result much faster and could be easily achieved if proper incentives are given to the owners. The owners of all neighbouring buildings would come together and develop one or more high rise towers. The slogan should be “Go Back and Go High”.
Depending upon the area, Govt. should insist that after such regrouping, the towers should be at least 10 ft. away from the road and go as high as possible.
OUR MEMORANDUM DATED 8.1.2010 & 20.1.2010:
We have already submitted memoranda dated 8th January 2010 & 20th January 2010 for amendment of DCR 33(9) & DCR 33(7) and if our suggestions are implemented , the redevelopment of the Island City would be very fast and we would be able to convert Mumbai Island city into ‘World Class City’ in next 10 to 15 years.

Thanking you,

Yours Truly,
For THE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION