The agitating Campa Cola compound residents on Friday resisted the efforts by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials to enter their society premises to cut off essential supplies to their illegal flats, ahead of the scheduled demolition of 35 unauthorised floors spread across seven buildings in their complex at Worli in south-central Mumbai.
After the expiry of the extended deadline for vacating their illegal flats ended, the BMC personnel arrived at the Campa Cola compound at 11 am to cut off water, electricity and piped gas supply to 102 illegal flats — only to be greeted by a closed main gate of the complex where residents had formed an additional human barricade to prevent the civic officials from gaining an entry inside the society premises.
Unlike the events that had unfolded on November 13, 2013, when the civic officials had broken through the human cordon and forced their way inside the Campa Cola complex to undertake the demolition operation that came be stayed by the Supreme Court later, the BMC officials chose not to use force to enter the society premises.
The senior civic officials sought to convince the residents of illegal flats to vacate their premises in accordance with the latest ruling of the Supreme Court, which had on June 3 directed the BMC to proceed with the due process of eviction followed by demolition. However, the Campa Cola residents refused to co-operate with the BMC officials, saying that their action did not amount to contempt of court since they were merely fighting for their rights.
On June 3, the Supreme Court had rejected a review petition filed by the Campa Cola residents, who had sought a stay on demolition of their illegal flats on “humanitarian” grounds till the apex court decided their curative petition. While refusing to stay the BMC operation, the apex court had taken a stand that every case that came before it had a humanitarian issue and Campa Cola matter was no different.
After more than four hours’ wait outside the Campa Cola compound, the BMC officials beat a retreat, only to return there later in the evening. “We are not using force to gain entry inside the compound. Through the day, we have been requesting the residents to comply with the Supreme Court orders and vacate their flats, but in vain. We will consult our higher-ups later in the evening and formulate our strategy for tomorrow,” Deputy Municipal Commissioner Anand Waghralkar said, when asked if the BMC would use force to gain inside the Campa Cola complex on Saturday.
Informed civic sources said that the BMC might file a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court against the Campa Cola society on Monday, if the residents failed to co-operate with its officials on Saturday as well. “We are video-recording the proceedings here so that we can produce the same along with contempt petition as and when we file it before the apex court,” a senior civic official said.
On a day when the residents of Campa Cola continued to receive political support, scores of RPI (A) activists, carrying party flags, staged a protest against the BMC’s impending eviction-cum-demolition operation. Mumbai’s BJP functionary Shaina NC visited the complex, interacted with the agitating residents and pledged her support to them. In her effort to find a solution to the problem facing the Campa Cola residents, Shaina also had a word with the BMC officials present.
Several of Campa Cola residents, meanwhile, performed a “havan” on the society premises seeking divine intervention to save their illegal flats from demolition.