After the Supreme Court ruling, urban planners like Shirish Patel and heritage experts like Abha Lamba and Sharada Dwivedi are dismayed, since the ruling seems to include heritage structures as well. But what about landlords and tenants? They are the ones who really matter. How have they reacted? Bombay has hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of tenants who pay ridiculously small amounts as "old" rents. The owners of these buildings naturally cannot afford to maintain them properly, not even to give them a decent coat of paint. Which is why the city looks like one vast festering slum. Politicians like Murli Deora—and now his son, Milind—have championed tenants because they provide a "votebank". However, tenants should be happy with the Supreme Court ruling. Their rundown buildings can now be completely redone. They will have the choice of paying considerably less than the market rate to own their premises, or get sufficient compensation to move elsewhere. There will be a construction boom and a much better looking city. I see nothing wrong with that, though I may be considered politically incorrect.
