Will new Sena-led Maharashtra govt help free Mahul residents of Mumbai's toxic hell?

Doctors giving voluntarily service in Mahul

Counterview Desk
As doctors keep pouring in to voluntarily help Mahul residents in Mumbai, allegedly left to die of the toxicity in the neighbourhood because of industrial pollution, they expect relief from the new Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra, says civil rights organisation, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA) in a statement.
Asserting that the Shiv Sena had supported demand of relocation of Mahul residents, GBGBA says, "Due the presence of refineries and various industrial units handling hazardous chemicals, Mahul, a fishing village near Chembur, Mumbai, was declared unfit for human habitation back in 2015 by the National Green Tribunal (NTG), a supreme judicial body on environment."

Text:

The observation on the toxicity of Mahul was made by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after villagers from Mahul approached the tribunal, as they were facing serious respiratory issues due to high level of air pollution who in the neighbourhood.
In spite of such serious observations, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) decided to forcefully rehabilitate poor citizens in Mahul after demolishing their settlements for various developmental projects in the city.
Daily wage workers, domestic helps, security guards, auto rickshaw/taxi drivers, electricians, plumbers, and other informal and skilled workers, who are responsible for subsidising the life in the city, were all dumped in Mahul in 2017.
Many immediately started facing serious health issues, including tuberculosis, asthma, cancer, skin-related issues and paralysis. The Bombay High Court in April this year, and again in September, directed the corporation and the Maharashtra government, to relocate these residents to other houses at safer locations or provide them monthly rent.
This time again the municipal corporation and the Maharashtra government decided to flout the court’s order, which further worsened the health of people living here. More than 300 people have died in a matter of two years, and almost everyone in the 5,500 families, who are living there, are suffering from critical diseases.
In the absence of public healthcare system in the neighbourhood, poor residents are forced to take to private hospitals which are highly expensive. With a monthly average income of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, Mahul residents are left with a difficult choice to choose between their medical expenses and daily expenses. If they decide to take care or medical expenses, they can’t take care of their daily expenses and vice verca.
While the residents continue their fight on the street and in the court for safer housing, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA) has been organising free medical camps with the help of public spirited doctors to address the lack of accessibility to healthcare and affordability for Mahul residents.
In the second free medical camp that was held on Sunday, December 1, a lot of people came back and apprised GBGBA activists of improvement in their health after the first camp. However, unless air pollution doesn’t come down, diseases are going to come back again.

The new government has boldly decided to stop cutting of Aarey forests. Victims of pollution in Mahul are waiting for their turn to get justice

Mitigating pollution in such a highly-industrialised zone is impossible, and that is the reason why the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in its report on pollution in Mahul recommended that residential zone should be discouraged to live in Mahul.
With the change in power in Maharashtra, Mahul residents are hopeful, as the new government is led by Shiv Sena, which earlier supported the campaign of Mahul residents, but because of the adamant stand of BJP in the previous government, the party couldn’t do much.
On the intervention of Sena leader Aditya Thackeray, 300 new houses were reserved for Mahul residents by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), but MCGM held back the allotment of these houses by citing technical glitches.
Now that the new government has taken the bold decision to stop cutting of Aarey forests, on which there was a huge campaign around, the victims of the pollution in Mahul are waiting for their turn to get justice.
A team of general physicians, gynaecologists, dermatologists, palliative care specialists and paediatricians have been holding camp every week here. However, this excellent initiative will provide temporary relief. A permanent solution can only be attained after all the families are relocated to the abundantly available safer housing for the poor as per the court order.
One hopes the newly-formed Maharashtra government will take urgent notice and follow court orders, relocating Mahul residents to a safe, clean and habitable environment, as promised.

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Reshaping welfare policy? G-RAM-G marks the end of rights-based rural employment

By Ram Puniyani With the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, the BJP’s political strength began to grow. From then on, it started projecting itself as a “party with a difference.” Gradually, the party’s electoral success graph kept rising. However, many thinkers and writers did not find this particularly worrying at the time, as they saw little difference between the BJP and the ruling Congress. The BJP’s real face began to emerge when it became the principal party of the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It first came to power for two brief tenures—13 days and then 13 months—and subsequently governed for nearly six years with Vajpayee as Prime Minister. During this period, many of these writers began to understand that the BJP was indeed a “different kind” of party, as even then the process of undermining democratic values and norms had begun. During the first term of the UPA government, several schemes were implemented that were based on the concept of “rights.” These included the right...

Search This Blog