Forced to sell our flats for actor Aamir Khan's bungalow, allege Mumbai mother-daughter

Mumbai: Aamir Khan brings the ills of society to middle class drawing rooms every week through his television show 'Satyameva Jayate'.

Then why is it that two society members of the Virgo Co-operative Housing Society in Bandra's Pali Hill have shot off a letter to the deputy registrar of societies against his plans to build a bungalow for himself?

'The Indian Express' has reported that octogenarian Dr Pamela de Sa, 87, and her daughter, Dr Geneve de Sa, 50, have alleged that the managing committee of their housing society in Pali Hill, in Mumbai's upmarket Bandra, is misleading homeowners and pressing them to sell 60 per cent of their premises to actor Aamir Khan who wants to build a bungalow for himself.

“The Managing Committee is favouring the acceptance of a proposal from Aamir Khan who is trying to purchase 60 per cent of the flats for his own residence by forcibly dis-housing the existing members of the society and compelling them to search new premises,” the de Sas wrote to the deputy registrar on March 11, according to the report.

The society in question has 23 members, and comprises two ground-plus-three-storey buildings, Marina Apartments and Bella Vista, each of which has 12 flats. Khan owns two flats in Marina and one in Bella Vista, and first expressed interest in acquiring a part of the plot in December 2011. Pamela de Sa owns two flats in Marina, and Geneve de Sa owns two garages in Bella Vista, the report said.

The spokesperson of Aamir Khan was quoted in 'The Indian Express' as saying, “Mr Khan has indeed sent an offer to his society after the society requested him to make an offer. We assume that the society will assess all offers received, and members will then decide on how to proceed, which is the normal process.”

Khan has offered to buy 20,000 sq ft of the 36,207 sq ft (3,364 sq m) property at the rate of Rs 70,000 per sq ft of carpet area from society members interested in selling their flats or garages to him. This means that a certain minimum number of members should be willing to sell their premises outright, so that Khan has at least 20,000 sq ft of carpet area for himself. For members not interested in selling, Khan has offered to build a separate building on the rest of the plot, according to the report.

The de Sas said: "The scheme proposed by Aamir Khan is not for redevelopment and re-accommodation, it is actually for selling the society’s property to Aamir Khan and also de-registering the society. The appointment of the architect for proposed development is not done, including failing to call tenders for inviting developers for proposed redevelopment.”

Virgo Co-operative Housing Society member secretary Kondon Sabloak denied these allegations and was quoted saying, “Such allegations are baseless and are intended to spoil the development of the society by some members who have not given their consent for redevelopment. The voting was done in a fair manner and the entire process was recorded on video camera.”

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