We are not illegal occupants, say Mankhurd slum dwellers

Residents displaced by the demolitions at Mankhurd, carried out by the Mumbai suburban collectorate, have said they are not illegal occupants.

On Monday and Tuesday, the collectorate demolished more than 300 houses on the state-owned land at Maharashtra Nagar, Mankhurd.

Residents alleged that all the shanties had been built before 2000, and said they had documents to corroborate their claims. They said they had a copy of the tehsildar's notice issued in 1997, stating they were legally residing on the land.

"My family has been living here since 1993, I have a voter's identity card and a driving licence on this address. Toilets and roads have been constructed through the MLA fund. Why were these amenities built for residents on encroached land?" said Santosh Kadam, a resident.

Deputy collector Dhananjay Sawalkar has said notices had been "issued in advance" to slum dwellers. However, residents deny this. "We were clueless about any such action. The men accompanied by policemen barged into our houses, threw us out and demolished our houses," said Mamata Kawale.