Campa Cola: Is builder-politician nexus real problem behind illegal flats?

Though BMC has stalled its demolition drive for the day at Campa Cola, many are asking if the builder-politician nexus the real problem behind a situation like Campa Cola.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, Chandrashekhar Prabhu, urban expert, said that builder-politician nexus might have created this problem but many residents did know about it when they bought the flats in the 1980s.

[caption id=“attachment_1226009” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Campa Cola residents. Firstpost. [/caption]

“This was an industrial plot. Industrial plots were not being permitted to be used for residential purpose. The developer was an underworld don and he managed his way through the government and the politicians. Even in 1986-90, this was a sham and this building ought not to come there. The water came from tankers and there was no water connection…and the residents were aware of that, “he said.

D Jeykar, representative of Campa Cola residents, said that though she knew that the building did not have an occupancy certificate and water connection was not regularised initially, this was not the first instance of such a situation in a housing-starved city like Mumbai.

More from Economy

Inflation likely to be a big focus area for budget 2024, say sources Explained: Will the Bank of Japan break tradition and raise interest rates?

She said, “I did not prepare my flat documents myself…a legal solicitor made the agreement. It was his point that in India its perfectly legal for selling buildings under construction. It happens all the time.”

Milind Deora, South Mumbai MP, also said, “For a long time there was a builder mafia and that has gone unpunished. Let’s not punish the home buyer. The residents are really not at fault.”

Though a section of civic officials and the public feel that greater regulation on the part of the administration will solve this problem, real estate developer Niranjan Hiranandani did not agree.

According to him, 50 percent of population anyway live in unauthorised construction like slums. He said, “For a place like Ulhasnagar unauthorised buildings are sanctioned. Even Mumbra buildings (where several buildings have collapsed killing many residents even last monsoon) are tolerated.”

The solution seems to be as BMC corporator Makrand Narvekar said to somehow get around the system and not punish the home buyer. “Campa Cola type situation are there all around the city. If the authorities could not prevent them 20-30 years back we should look at a scenario of working around the system, “he said.