Though the state government issued an official statement announcing the redevelopment of 19 buildings in the Elphinstone area and promised residents new homes at the same location, no written assurance has been provided to them yet. Frustrated by the inaction, residents have now threatened to go on a hunger strike by the end of this week.

We don’t want verbal commitments. We had already informed the MMRDA that we need written assurance. It’s been over 15 days, and there has been no progress, no official communication from the authorities. We’ll wait till the end of this week. If we still don’t receive written clarity, we’ll launch an indefinite hunger strike,” said Akshay Sutar, a resident of Laxmi Niwas, one of the 19 affected buildings.