Muslims are allowed in Adani’s Mumbai project, reveals documents. A tweet by a Congress leader had accused Adani Realty that they were not selling flats to Muslims.
By Varun singh
Muslims are allowed to buy flats in Adani’s real estate project located in Mumbai’s Andheri area.
A tweet by a Congress leader Mathew Antony had alleged that Adani Realty was not selling flats to Muslims in its project Western Heights. The tweet garnered a lot of response.
This tweet was even noticed by Oscar Winner Resul Pookutty who had asked the CM of Maharashtra for an urgent intervention.
There is no denial that in Mumbai many developers discriminate. Some do not sell flats to a specific religion. There are few who do not sell flats to people with specific eating preferences.
However, an investigation by Square Feat India found that the allegations made by the Congress leader Mathew Antony that Muslims aren’t allowed to buy a house in the project are not true.
Documents available with this reporter shows that Adani Realty has sold flats to Muslims in the particular project.
For example take note of the deal that took place in the building western heights in April 2019.
Adani Realty sold a flat measuring 123.71 sq mts to Mohammad Yusuf Farooqui and Dil Afroz Farooqui.
The Farooqui’s paid Rs 5.10 crore for the flat to Adani Realty and Rs 30.60 lakh as stamp duty for registering the deal.
Only in December did another Muslim woman gifted the flat in the building Western Heights to her husband. The flat was gifted by Mallika to Amir Arsiwala.
Another Muslim owners of a flat on the 19th floor of the building mortgaged their flats to a private bank.
Not only this, there are people from other religions too who have been sold flat in the building.
For example in October 2019, a flat measuring 117 sq mts was sold by Adani Realty to Doris D’souza and Cajetan D’souza. The D’souza paid Rs 4.23 crore for the flat and Rs 25.40 lakh as stamp duty.
Not the first time, that an allegation like this has cropped up. In the year 2015, Misbah Qadri had alleged that she was evicted from a building in Wadala because of her religion.
However, an investigation by this reporter then for mid-day had shown that the building had multiple Muslim residents.
While discrimination does exist when it comes to real estate, there are multiple examples of developers not allowing people from different religions. There are many who sell flats based on eating preferences of the home buyers. Many do not allow single woman, bachelors and even divorced women even on rent. Such practices needed to be abolished and acted upon too.
However, this allegation by Mathew Antony, who on his twitter bio says that he is National Executive Committee Member, Social Media & Digital Communications @INCindia, State Secretary MH, @profcong, isn’t true.
When contacted Mathew and informed that Muslims do own flats in this project he said, “I have been approached by 3 muslim families on their lack of response and indirect rejection from the Adani Manish Nagar project, on which I have tweeted. There is a response from Adani Reality not with reference to this project but in general that they don’t discriminate their customers by cast and creed. Basis this I have replied and requested the parties to approach Adani Project in Manish Nagar and revert with the response. If they are able to close it, it has a logical conclusion. On your reported fact of sales to Muslim customers, if it is there it resolves the issue. However the issues with respect to community restrictions is very real and existing in the city as elsewhere and we need to be responsible to build equality and inclusiveness to avoid feeding fodder to radical thinking and propagating hate by those elements in the society.”
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