Patra Chawl Residents Refuse MHADA's 'Unsafe' Flats: Hunger Strike Continues
Residents of Siddharth Nagar in Goregaon, known as Patra Chawl, are locked in a standoff with the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) after the Bombay High Court set an April 2 deadline to accept newly allotted flats or risk losing them altogether.
Several families have refused to take possession, alleging incomplete and unsafe construction. Residents, including women, senior citizens, and teenagers, have launched an indefinite chain hunger strike, raising concerns over structural safety.
A bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe criticised the society for refusing to execute the Permanent Alternate Accommodation Agreement (PAAA). The court warned that failure to comply by April 2 would allow MHADA to reallocate the tenements for public purposes and permitted the authority to stop paying transit rent from April 1, 2026.
Naresh Sonawane, 50, a resident, said, “Our draft DA was submitted in December 2022, but MHADA began work only in October 2025. The government waived 887 crore for developers, yet we are being given substandard flats. Handing homes to PAP after 18 years will destroy faith in the system.”
Shaila Vyas, 62, added, “We are being removed from our own homes. Possession was to be given only after registration of the Development Agreement (DA) and Permanent Alternate Accommodation Agreement (PAAA). But citing court pressure over rent, MHADA is forcing possession. Our DA registration is delayed due to MHADA constructing 72 unauthorised shops. We want our homes, but we are worried about our future.”
Bala Sakarkar, 67, shared, “We came here in 1948 and cared for this land for 65 years. Under the 2008 tripartite agreement, we became partners in redevelopment, enabling MHADA to earn crores from the sale component. Today, we are being pushed out of our own land.”
Dr. Vishakha Kanse, 33, stated, “Patra Chawl existed before 1948. We are partners in this redevelopment, yet delays and irregularities have led to 18 years of injustice. How can our homes now be given to PAP? We will move the high court and the Supreme Court for justice.”
Suresh Vichare, 45, emphasized, “We are not slum dwellers. Our homes were given up for redevelopment, but 1,200 crore was siphoned off and MHADA aided it. Now we are being denied our rightful homes. We have been on a hunger strike for 26 days, but no one is listening.”
The residents are determined to fight for their rights, hoping that their struggles will not go unnoticed and that justice will be served.
