COUNTERVIEW: Mumbai: Wednesday, November 28,
2018.
Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA),
Mumbai's civil rights organization, fighting for the slum dwellers' rights,
feels that the resettled residents of Mahul, considered the city's toxic hell
because of extreme industrial pollution, have been cheated after Maharashtra
housing minister Prakash Mehta promised them to be shifted to Kurla's Housing
Development & Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) area.
In a statement, GBGBA says, in a virtual
about turn, state Chief minister Deverndra Fadnavis has expressed helpless in
providing "safe housing" to the poor residents of Mahul, who are
agitating against the unlivable conditions in the flats where they were shifted
from the Tansa pipeline after they were declared illegal encroachers
one-and-half years ago.
Text of the statement:
Housing minister Prakash Mehta had assured
residents of Mahul that all of them can be given houses in Kurla HDIL. The
assurance was given under pressure from the residents of Mahul who are agitated
by Government's non-compliance of the High Court's order which had directed
Government of Maharashtra to relocate Mahul residents as the area is hit by a
worst level of industrial pollution.
However, Maharashtra chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis said the tenements in Kurla cannot be allotted as they are
under litigation. What CM offered to do as part of the solution of the problem
is only sanctioning the 350 houses, which were offered by the Maharashtra
Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to Mahul residents. This is not
the complete solution as total families living in Mahul are around 5,500.
A meeting was taken on Tuesday by the
Chief Minister on the insistence of Shiv Sena youth leader Aditya Thackrey in
presence of MHADA president Uday Samant and Thackrey. None of the
representatives of Mahul residents were called for the meeting. What is offered
by the government is not something the government benevolently offered, as in
past the government had outrightly rejected to provide any alternative
tenements.
It is only after hard-earned negotiation
and initiative of Shiv Sena youth leader that the MHADA offered these
tenements. It is also not the case that there are no tenements available at
all. In fact, through RTI we have found that there are almost one lakh
tenements available in Mumbai which are meant for Project Affected Persons.
So, this means that if the Kurla HDIL
tenements cannot be allotted then there are still umpteen number of tenements
available which can be allotted to Mahul residents. What is lacking is simply
government will to save to the lives of Mahul residents who are under constant
life threat due to worst level of industrial pollution in the area.
The Chief Minister does not even have the
courtesy to meet the representatives of the Mahul residents to discuss and
resolve the issue. The residents have been trying to meet him for more than a
year. Agitated by this callous behaviour of the government, resident took out a
bike rally today to Mantrayalay. They displayed large postcards which were
addressed to the chief minister reminding him about meeting the residents. Few
of the bikers were detained by the police for such for taking out the rally.
Today's police action sends out only one message that it is a crime today to
even demand protection of life.
For more than a month, are sitting on
protest at Vidya Vihar by the residents of Mahul who are demanding compliance
of High Court's order which directed the Government of Maharashtra to relocate
the residents of Mahul. The Chief Minister's statement has agitated the
residents by his insensitive way of addressing the issue.
More than hundred people have died so far
due to the pollution in Mahul. Looks like he is waiting for more people to die
to act. The future course of movement of Mahul residents will be decided and
announced soon.
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