Mumbai, May 9 -- Residents of Mamlatdarwadi in Malad West are in the process of moving the Bombay high court (HC) in a desperate bid to save their compounds from being engulfed by road widening work being undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Out of 16 buildings along road number six in Mamlatdarwadi, residents of four buildings filed petitions in the HC in first week of May, accusing the BMC of widening the road in violation of due processes. The remaining buildings are in the process of filing similar petitions. The road is now 4.5 metres wide. The BMC is widening it to nine metres, which threatens several buildings along the road. "Some of the buildings were originally 'wadas' which were redeveloped over the last decade or so," said Salil Thackare, an architect and the landlord of one of the buildings. These buildings, located on either side of the road, have a three-metre gap between the compound wall and pillars, which is threatened by the road widening work, he said. "Buildings on the right side of the road will lose 2.5 metres while those on the left will lose 1.8 metres owing to the road widening," said Thackare. "There are only limited people here and the existing road is good for us." Residents also said the work would threaten the structural integrity of their buildings and rob them of parking space. The residents allege the road is being widened hastily in violation of due procedures. On April 15, the BMC served them a notice under section 299 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, saying the demarcated area would have to be cleared within seven days, failing which the BMC would clear it. "The notice was sent although the BMC had not demarcated any area within our buildings," said Kamlesh Deorukhkar. Then, on April 30, a bulldozer made its appearance, ready to raze the compound walls. Residents mobilised in response, first to stall the bulldozer from demolishing their property, then to submit a formal complaint to the BMC. "When we tried to submit the complaint, we were told that the time for objections had passed and our only option was legal recourse," said Deorukhkar. It was only after this that residents of two buildings moved the high court, which asked the BMC to conduct a survey of the area and identify any chances of structural damage. The residents allege the road is being widened hastily to facilitate a high rise on a plot adjacent to the P North ward office. Kundan Valvi, assistant commissioner, P North ward, brushed aside residents' allegations, saying the road was being widened in accordance with the 2034 development plan. "We have followed all procedures and gave proper time to the residents," he said....