Gaothan residents seek BJP help for existence

Mumbai: With the threat of being wiped off under the BMC’s Development Plan (DP) 2034, the East Indian community has reached out to the BJP government and its leaders to safeguard the interests of the city’s 80-odd gaothans. While the Bombay East Indian Association (BEAI) has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to help them, the Gaothan Bachao Andolan (GBA) has roped in BJP leader Krishna Hegde and has sought his intervention to convince the BJP top brass to help them achieve its demands.

Speaking about the issue, Advocate Vivian D’Souza, BEAI president said that as gaothans have been a part of Mumbai’s cultural heritage, they have written to Mr Fadnavis seeking his help and intervention to safeguard the interests of the community. “We have coaxed the chief minister to intervene and ensure that the gaothans are not treated as slums and to formulate a plan for the people who have been dwelling in these goathans since many decades,” he said.

On the other hand, the GBA said that they had preferred to request Mr Hegde and Mr Ameet Satam both BJP leaders from Andheri and Juhu, to help them save the gaothans. “The GBA has approached these leaders as they are from the ruling government and they are in a better position to understand our cause as they live in the vicinity of gaothans. There has been a good response from both Hegde and Satam and they have assured us that they will help in garnering support at the state level for this, as well as provide us with the wherewithal to achieve the plans that was decided by the GBA in its last meeting,” said Gleason Baretto, a GBA member.