BPP Trustee Kersi Randeria Rubbishes False Claims By Phiroze Amroliwalla And Shares Facts

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Over the last week, I have received a number of queries and requests from community members as regards the malicious and unfounded lies being spread about me, by a certain Phiroze Amroliwalla, in a Sunday-rag which surely qualifies as the torch bearer of yellow journalism in the community – known to sensationalize falsities and confuse/fool community members.

In order to cover up the fact that he is in occupation of 3 BPP flats and has not paid a single rupee in rent to the BPP for more than 3.5 years, Phiroze Amroliwalla – a self-proclaimed social activist, housing expert and vigilante – has put out twisted and dishonest stories in the public domain, which I do not wish to dignify with a response but deny in toto, in the interest of public knowledge and the truth.

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Some More Facts:

Phiroze Amroliwalla lives in a flat in Mahim, which is in his wife’s name. He spends, on an average, 6 months in a year, in Canada, with his son’s family.

Despite being abroad for a long time, Phiroze Amroliwalla has also illegally occupied a SECOND flat – next door to his flat in Mahim.

Further he has kept a THIRD flat in Khareghat colony, locked and in his possession, since over a decade!

The BPP has sent Phiroze Amroliwalla notices to vacate and hand over the premises, dated 11^th April, 2019 (C-27, Malbari Bldg., New Khareghat Colony); as well as 29^th May, 2019 (Flat No.15, Jeejeebhoy Building No. 5, Khan Estate, Mahim).

Phiroze Amroliwalla has not paid a single paisa to the Trust for the past three and a half years for these three flats, totalling to Rs. 2,15,383 and claims to have sent a cheque for a much lesser amount (Rs. 1,03,939/-) to the BPP, in January, 2020. He has offered no explanation as to why he did so after three years of not having made a single payment… Possibly knowing fully well, that the BPP cannot, and will not, accept a part payment, he has sent this piece of paper so that he can claim to have made a payment!

It reflects sadly on Phiroze Amroliwalla’s supposed integrity, when he indulges in the proverbial ‘throwing stones to hide his hands’ – by desperately trying to cover up the following facts (by drowning them in a sea of misinformation and lies) as under…

About three and a half years ago, Phiroze Amroliwalla had approached me saying that his business had stopped many years ago and as he was now a retiree, he was unable to afford paying an additional Rs. 2,250/- per month. I advised him that the sum appeared big to him only because he was illegally occupying two additional flats and that he should either hand over the flats to the BPP (which he should have anyways done), or alternatively, if he was genuinely a ‘poor man’, then he should apply for a subsidy or waiver to the Board of Trustees, for their consideration. But he was unwilling to do this, as he claimed that it would affect his image! He has now twisted this plea for financial relief into saying that this was a bribe that he offered to him! How ridiculous can he get!! That I would offer him a bribe of Rs. 2250 a month and that the

What obviously stands out is that he has been illegally occupying TWO flats, over and above his existing flat, and despite proclaiming himself to be a ‘Housing Activist’, he wishes to benefit from the Trust by selling the houses for a profit!

 

 

Amroliwalla also told me, that he had had a major surgery some time ago, and had become a financial drain on his son, he wanted to sell all the three houses and migrate permanently to Canada.

When I told him, that as per the prevailing Housing Policy (2017), the Trustees would not allow the sale of houses, he informed me, that he had the blessing of Dinshaw Mehta, and that Trustees Viraf Mehta and Armaity Tirandaz would help with his case and thus, requested me to support him! He also pointed out that somewhere in 2013, Dinshaw Mehta had agreed to allow him to sell his Khareghat Colony flat at that time, which had no relevance in 2017, especially since nothing concrete had come out of this discussion.

Despite his pleading, I was firm in my refusal of what I believed to be an unacceptable request, allowing a person to benefit to such an extent from charity by selling not one, but three flats, and then using these charity funds to permanently migrate to Canada! Realising that I would not budge, he threatened me saying that I did not know the kind of person that he was  and the damage he could inflict on me, should I make an enemy out of him, hinting at his previous underworld connections.

Over the last 2-3 years he has repeatedly made the most childish and absurd allegations against me, including the most recent one, where he claims, that I refused to send food to a poor, old gentleman in his colony, (during BPP’s recent food distribution scheme) simply to spite him (Amroliwalla), even though, neither he nor I were ever in the picture!

Let me also state, for the record, that he initially started off thinking he could get into my good books by reporting the financial irregularities indulged in by some of the ex-Trustees. He proclaimed himself to be the first vigilante, and stated, that along with one Rumi Dastoor from Cusrow Baug, he had, then caught Dinshaw Mehta and the late Rustom Tirandaz, in a cash-for-house transaction, and had exposed them for the alleged financial irregularities, which he alleged was also published by the Parsi press at that time.

To put things in a nutshell, Amroliwalla has, under the guise of ‘not paying the amount as a matter of principle’, now been staying for FREE for the last THREE AND A HALF YEARS as an occupant of THREE FLATS – and not paying for any!!!

Since I have been repeatedly calling on Amroliwalla to clear the necessary amount and hand over the flats – both proposals being conducive neither to his profiteering off the Trust flats nor to his image –  he has resorted to spreading falsehoods and lies about me, and has tried his best to malign me, by misinforming the community.

The work that I have done for the community, over the last four and a half years, most of which has focused on our lesser fortunate brethren – speaks volumes for itself and for both – my character and commitment. This obviously proves very painful to some to accept, especially those, who have their relatives and their prodigies and proxies on the Board!

I’m guessing such false attacks and ridiculous, delinquent, and to put it bluntly – stupid – allegations, will continue, because those throwing the stones are the very people who have been repeatedly accused of financial impropriety by not one, but two different boards of trustees! The only objective of such jobless people in life, is to be malicious and try and belittle my hard work and dedication. I wish they would instead, channelise their energy towards helping the community.