The Mumbai High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to move people out of Mahul, known as toxic hell, even as reprimanding the government for ignoring national security concern while planning the resettlement site in Mahul. It has given the government 12 weeks' time to comply with the order.
The verdict asks the the government to relocate Mahul residents to safer places within 12 weeks starting September 23, 2019. The court has also directed the government to pay Rs 15,000 as rent and Rs 45,000 as deposit to each family for better accommodation till the government finds a suitable alternative.
Meanwhile, the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA), which is behind the Mahul residents' struggle, in a statement has said, "Due to heavy pollution and uninhabitable conditions the residents of Mahul were suffering fro deadly disease along with the loss of employment and education of children. More than 300 untimely death occurred in Mahul due in last two years. The residents of Mahul launched protest Jeevan Bachao Andolan from October 2018 to fight for their rights."
It claims, "Since all these years the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) were unwilling to relocate the residents of Mahul to safer places. Their intentions can be clearly seen from their actions that the Bombay High court had to pass the same order twice. This is an evident proof how the current government is attitude towards its people."
The statement says, "While the government of the day plays with people’s mind in the name of national security and safety of its citizens, it is noted in today’s judgement as how the Municipal corporation has ignored security concern a resettlement can pose to the nearby refineries."
It adds, "Two major refineries have pointed out as how the development of high rise buildings can be used as launch pad to target refineries which will not only pose threat to the lives of local population but to the rest of the city. This serious observation has been ignored by municipal corporation while changing the land use in Mahul from industrial zone to residential zone."
GBGBA contends, "BMC has been continuously opposing the decision of High Court to relocate the residents as to pay them rent and appealed in supreme court against the order. Even thought the high court has given its final verdict, the residents of Mahul doubts whether the government will follow it or not."
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