Damarwala building residents don't want to relocate far

Mumbai: Residents of Bhendi Bazaar’s Damarwala building in which fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim owned six flats, were keenly following the auction process conducted at the Indian Merchant Chamber on Tuesday. The residents welcomed the SBUT’s purchase of the six flats for its Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project but do not want to be shifted to faraway transit camps.

Damarwala building was home to Dawood until he fled the country in the eighties.   Damarwala building’s resident Zainab Kaachwala said, “We are aware of the auction, and are happy the building will be redeveloped. Our only request to the authorities is to accommodate a transit camp for us, which will be nearer to our current location. Relocating beyond the 3 kilometre radius will be difficult to settle in.” Ms Yasmeen Suratwala, another resident said, “The transit camps at Mahul, Chembur or Nerul or Chunabhatti would be too far for us.”

On a spot visit to Hotel Rounak Afroz (aka Delhi Zaika), the manager of the restaurant refused to comment on the auction. The manager of Shabnam Guest House too refused to comment on the matter.

Ms Rangwala, a resident of Damarwala building said, “The issue has been blown out of proportion and we have been harassed constantly.”

In view of the auction, police had beefed up security around the conference room where the bids were being carried out, and around the IMC office at Churchgate.