Chawl residents fight to save patch of green

Anjali Joseph / TNN / Nov 4, 2005, 03:37 IST

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Is it a case of David versus Goliath at Tardeo? Residents of the 130-year-old Talmakiwadi chawl near Bhatia Hospital feel it is.

Chawl residents fight to save patch of green

MUMBAI: Is it a case of David versus Goliath at Tardeo? Residents of the 130-year-old Talmakiwadi chawl near Bhatia Hospital feel it is.
The 20-room chawl, which since 1941 is enclosed within the Kanara Saraswat Association's housing colony (the second-oldest co-operative society in Asia) is fighting to save a small garden of trees and bushes they planted in front of the chawl over 20 years ago.
"Last month, the housing society that owns the land told us that they planned to bring down the trees and use the area for extra parking," says chawl resident Lalita Balsekar, a teacher in the colony's school.
"On October 16, one of the society's committee members came with two workmen, pointed out to my trees and said, 'These must go'," says Balsekar.

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Several ground-floor residents of the chawl have planted trees (there are around 12 small ones, including sitaphal, karipatta, a supari tree and parijat) and other plants in a strip measuring 15 feet.
They say it was partly in response to an incident in the 1980s when a visitor reversed his car right into one of the rooms.
"We're right on the road and need protection," says Balsekar, who lives with her sister, two brothers and 79-year-old mother. The family has stayed here since her grandfather's time.

Residents say the other main issue is pollution from the increasing number of cars driving through the colony, with the colony's wedding hall being next door.
Vijaya Trasy (58), a chronic asthmatic, says that doctors at Bhatia Hospital have told her to avoid dust and vehicle emissions.
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"The society said they'd leave us three feet of space in front of the chawl but that still means fumes would come right into our ground floor houses," she says.
Leena Gangolli, honorary secretary of the Talmakiwadi Co-operative Housing Society, said that the chawl residents have misunderstood the proposals.
"The fencing residents have put up is qualifies for an illegal encroachment. But we have not yet decided what to do about the parking space," she says.
However, the October 1 minutes of the society meeting say: "While the trees will not be chopped down (we are exploring options like transplanting, pruning of branches, etc), the tiling and fencing will have to be removed and potted plants moved to the society garden".
The chawl residents still hope their tiny green enclave can survive. "We know the land belongs to the housing society and we are not trying to take it over. We just hope our trees can stay," says Balsekar.

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