 "Campa Cola residents allow BMC to cut gas, water and power supply")
The initiative came after days of protests with the officials to save their houses from demolition.The residents of Worli's Campa Cola Compound in Mumbai on Sunday allowed Brihanmumbai Municipal Cooperation (BMC) officials to cut gas, power and water supplies from their house, as a first step towards cooperation.
Campa Cola resident Ashish Jalan while addressing a press conference appreciated BMC's patience and thanked them for it saying that they could have done worse for the residents.
"We requested for some time till the evening and said that if you take a step forward then we will also cooperate. They said that we will try on humanitarian grounds within the framework of the law that if we can do something we will definitely do it. They said they will be very-very compassionate about the whole thing, they also said that whoever will be evicted we will take whatever steps we can," said Jalan.
"They said they always wanted to do something for us but because the order of Supreme Court clearly mentioned about no state intervention they didn't do anything but now because we are taking this step so they will try now. We are hoping that the fight will be over today but a new fight will start. At this time it will be with the system, till now we were fighting against the system now when we will fight with the system we hope that there will be some justice done to us," he added.
Jalan also told the media that they will request the BMC to disconnect the supply from tomorrow instead of today but if they want to do it today then the residents are ready for that also.
Jalan said that the residents also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today and he promised them help saying that he had already ordered for no demolition to BMC.
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"Although we haven't got anything in writing either from the Chief Minister or the BMC officials , we have faith in them as now we are tired of fighting from past 18 months and cannot see our family members being hospitalized," added Jalan.
The residents also confirmed to the media that they are just allowing the BMC officials to enter the Campa Cola Compound to disconnect power, water and gas supply and not handling them the keys.
Jalan ended with saying that the residents will explore all the legal possibilities to get if not full but at least half property and are ready to comply with all the orders of the Supreme Court other than demolition.
Earlier today the residents had submitted a mercy petition to the President to come up with solutions and mentioned political leaders from the BJP and the MNS sympathizing with the residents' demand.
The BMC had filed a police complaint against the flat owners for trying to prevent officials from implementing the Supreme Court order to raze the illegal building.
The BMC was supposed to begin the building's demolition on Friday, by disconnecting power, water and gas supplies to all illegal flats. The residents, however, blocked the attempts of the authorities to enter the compounds.