'Kohinoor was the best place to live in'
India, Aug. 2 -- Harihar Patel, 40, has spent the last 11 years living in a rented flat in the portion of B-wing of the Kohinoor Building that still remains standing, along with his wife, Chandrakala, 38, and their daughter, paying a monthly rent of Rs.3,100.
A worker at a textile factory in Bhiwandi, Patel keeps record of fabric scraps generated during the making of bedsheets. He said life in the Kohinoor Building had been comfortable despite their modest means. "There was never a water shortage or power outage. It was peaceful, calm and affordable. We thought this was the best place to live," he said.
Unlike residents whose homes were crushed in the collapse, their place is intact. "All our belongings are still inside, untouched-provided they are not stolen," Chandrakala said nervously. But the building has been sealed and residents have been barred from entering to retrieve their possessions. "So our problem is different from the others. We are stuck," she said.
What worries her is starting life in another rented house without the belongings that make a home habitable. "How do we move into another place when our clothes, utensils, bedding and everything we own are locked inside?" she asked.
Nearly two days after the collapse, the indignity of displacement had begun to weigh heavily on Chandrakala....
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