The work of laying cables to provide individual electric connections to the residents was completed today by the Brihanmumbai Suburban Electric Supply (BSES), and the P North ward office of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had demolished the boundary wall constructed by India Farmers Ltd, (IFL) a company owned by Navinchandra of the Majithia Foundation.

Claiming that the residents had encroached upon land leased to it by the Governor of Bombay in 1956, the IFL had stopped BMC and the Brihanmumbai Suburban Electric Supply Ltd (BSES) from providing basics like electricity, roads and drainage facilities to the localities. IFL had also constructed an eight-feet-high boundary wall, cutting off access of the colonies to the creek land . Following a report by Express Newsline on the plight of about 500 families residing in the twocolonies, the Collector (Mumbai suburban district), issued a no objection certificate (NOC) and directed the BSES to install the cables and provide individual electric connections to the residents with immediate effect.

He also wrote to IFL that its objection wouldn't be entertained, because the case regarding ownership of the land was pending before the state government's revenue department.

``The residents were very enthusiastic. The laying of cables generally takes about two days, but as the residents, including women and children, helped our men in digging and manually pulling the cables, we were able to complete it in about three hours,'' said BSES senior manager (technical) P M Hundiwale. For the residents, most of whom had helped the BSES workers throughout the night, ``it's a dream come true.'' Prema Gomes, a resident, said: ``People today get irritated if electric power is disrupted even for a few minutes, but we're living in Mumbai without the comforts of something as common as a ceiling fan.''The first things she will buy now are fans and probably even a refrigerator, she added.

``We have won a major victory,'' said Parshuram Masurkar, another resident. ``This made us even more resolute to fight the IFL. We won't vacate our homes at any cost,'' he said.

The demolition of the wall has also come as a pleasant surprise. ``The BMC had been supporting IFL all these years, and we had lost all hope. But the demolition of the wall has come as a relief,'' Gomes said. But immediately after the demolition on May 15, IFL has filed a contempt petition against BMC in the City Civil Court, arguing that the wall was demolished despite a subsisting stay order. ``I have also sent a notice to the BSES seeking damages to the tune of Rs 10 crore for digging up my property to give electric connections,'' Navinchandra Majithia said.

``I don't have any objection to the residents getting electric connections, but I've taken a serious view of the BSES using my land to lay the necessary cables,'' he added. Whenpointed out that the work was done under the collector's directions, he said even the collector had no right to order anybody to damage IFL's property. ``The land belongs to us and the collector cannot give orders in case of a private property,'' Majithia said.