…despite enjoying SRA protection, Sanmugbel Chidambram’s housing solution is nowhere in sight

 

Hapless Sanmugbel Chidambaram, 80, is running from pillar to post to get justice. He has not only lost his prime years to misfortune but also his small chawl that provided shelter from the heat and dusts of life. Even the Slums Regularization Act fails to retrieve his house which has fallen prey to evil machinations of a few

 

A resident of Dharavi at Mumbai’s most sprawled slums, since 1974, he visited Gulf for employment on numerous occasions. A regular tax payer since 1976, he last paid it in 1985. His slum was regularized in 1985 under Slums Regularization Acts (SRA). ‘My wife suffered acute psychiatric problem in 1983 and our family life lost mental equilibrium,’ sobbed the octogenarian.

 

Financially he was broke and since then whatever small savings he had was all exhausted in her treatment. Misfortune never comes alone. He lost all his documents – photo-id, receipts of various payments he made including that of house taxes and ration cards in 2011. However, his ration card was cancelled in 2008. His scheming younger sibling somehow bribed the civic officials and procured fake ration card.

 

His brother who died in 2006 was staying with him and made life miserable for him. Post his brother’s demise his son who was staying at Poisar was regularly issuing threats to him and despite his complaints to the police, MHADA and BMC none came to his rescue. 

 

Sahar police had already written letter in this context to the BMC to provide photo identity card to Chidambaram. Neither the BMC nor the MHADA and SRA officials are coming to his rescue. ‘He has lost his house and every iota of fortune, but despite being a bonafide resident he has to spend wintry night under starry sky,’ his lawyer Gyandhar Mishra lamented.