Saraswatibai Bishwambharlal Charity Trust — Illegal Activities in the 90-year old building Maheshwari Mansion in South Mumbai

Address:

Maheshwari Mansion, 34 Nepean Sea Road, Mumbai 400026

The story and history of people living below my flat in Flat 12 Maheshwari Mansion at 34 Nepean Sea Road in South Mumbai - These inhabitants of flat 12 moved from a garage in a nearby building `Navjivan’ at Nepean Sea Road to this flat in or around 2002, when the heirs of the previous tenant wanted to sell the flat. They bought the flat at a throw-away price to use it for their business and are storing their imported electronic products which are transported to and fro everyday to their shop in the the building where they stayed earlier. For many years, boards were put up outside the flat 12 with name of `United Communications’. Renovation of the said flat 12 in Maheshwari Mansion continued for nearly two years from 2002 to 2004. All the three balconies of the flat 12 were enclosed after concealing the iron railings of the balconies inside the walls which were plastered. Bathrooms were amalgamated and shelves were constructed above the bathrooms for storage. I have visited the flat when renovation was in progress in 2002. All the inner walls of the four rooms of the flat 12 were pulled down during renovation. About two years ago, a bathroom below a toilet was converted to a pooja room and I was told that I should not use my bathroom as the people below in flat 12 are getting electric shocks in their temple room below my bathroom due to water leakage from my flat. The mori of the kitchen of flat 12 was shifted to the balcony adjoining the kitchen and the water pipes were moved around the building walls for water connection in the mori which is in the balcony of the kitchen. To add to their convenience, drainage and sewerage pipes were also added to the new locations. After so many years of concealing their illegal activities in the said flat 12, since the past three days the walls of balconies of flat 12 are being pulled down on the pretext that the railings of the balconies inside the plastered walls have rusted. I have with me the copies of all the complaints filed by me since 2002 which have been acknowledged by the MCGM-D Ward and Malabar Hill Police Station to prove the illegal construction and activities in the flat 12 below my flat. If the building collapses all the inhabitants of flat 12 (some of them are not residing in flat 12 but have election cards issued by the Election Officer of Malabar Hill Constituency at the address of flat 12), the owner-Trust, the Election Registration Officer of Malabar Hill Constituency, the Collector of Mumbai City, Building Department of MCGM-D Ward and Malabar Hill Police Station should be held responsible.