On August 8, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Government to provide alternative housing to the residents of Mahul whose lives are threatened due to the toxic atmosphere in that area. The protest ‘Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan’ has entered its 55th day today.
Mumbai: National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) and Mahul residents have claimed that MHADA president Mr. Uday Samant confirmed a housing deal for the Mahul residents. They said that he confirmed on a telephonic conversation yesterday that MHADA has sanctioned the proposal to allot 300 houses to Mahul residents. “He has invited us to discuss the procedure of allotment which will also entail more details. The allotment of houses by MHADA also disapproves Maharashtra governments stand in the Court about non-availability of alternative houses,” they said in a statement.
On August 8, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Government to provide alternative housing to the residents of Mahul whose lives are threatened due to the toxic atmosphere in that area.
“Instead of coming up with solutions, the Maharashtra Government shamefully submitted in the Court that there are no houses available which can be allotted to Mahul residents. Agitated by this stand of the Government, the residents of Mahul have been staging an indefinite dharna since October 28. On the third day of the protest, the Shive Sena party intervened and held a meeting with MHADA. The president of MHADA is an MLA of Shiv Sena. Since the party is sensitive about the issue which involves the lives of 30,000 residents, they decided to handover as many houses as possible to the residents of Mahul. MHADA presidents decided to allot 300 houses in the first meeting itself. While two other major housing agencies such as the MMRDA and SRA, which are under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have still not found time to take a decision that affects the lives of thousands of residents. They have instead filed false affidavits in the Court,” they said.
The level of toxicity in Mahul is so high that it is claiming lives on a daily basis. The day before yesterday, two people died. One due to cancer and the other due to a heart attack. They were healthy before they were forcefully shifted in Mahul last year. So far, more than 150 people have been killed since 2015 in Mahul.
On the other hand, the Bombay High Court, in its order based on hearing on December 13, 2018, rapped the Government for its failure to implement the Court’s order. On August 8, 2018, the Court directed the Maharashtra government to provide alternative housing to Mahul residents. The Court was allegedly seething with anger after reading the fact-finding report by IIT Bombay with regards to the infrastructure facility, health, multiple hazardous risks, pollution and other dangerous situations in Mahul. The Court said that the report by IIT Bombay confirmed the complaints by Mahul residents that they had been making since more than a year.
The protest ‘Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan’ has entered it 55th day today. Residents of Mahul are demanding a meeting with Chief Minister to resolve this issue. “So far, the state chief doesn’t care to hear the plight of the residents who are facing life and death situations. It’s high time that the Chief Minister took quick action to save thousands of lives. Until then the dharna of Mahul residents will continue in Azad Maidan. The police are continuously harassing the peaceful protestors in Azad Maidan. Protestors are forced to move out of Maidan every night and forced to sleep without any shelter in the cold at CST station,” they said.