Shift all 510 families at risk of landslides, activists tell minister

A wall collapse caused by a landslide amid heavy rain killed residents of a slum in Chembur’s Bharat Nagar on July 18. File pic

A delegation comprising housing rights activist Bilal Khan, NCP leader Vidya Chavan, and residents of the flood-prone area of Ambedkar Nagar in Malad East met Maharashtra Housing Minister Dr Jitendra Awhad on Monday to discuss the speedy rehabilitation of 510 tenants who are living in ‘high-risk areas'.

The delegation apprised the minister of the vulnerabilities of the community, including flooding, during monsoon in Mumbai. "The delegation demanded that families living in high-risk areas and prone to landslides be immediately shifted to temporary/permanent accommodation, whatever is possible, as per the directions of the chief minister," said Khan from the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, which has been working with the communities since 2019.

"In July 2019, 31 people died and hundreds were injured due to the collapse of a boundary wall separating the forest areas and this settlement," said Bilal. "The wall collapsed due to the water pressure from the BMC's reservoir on the other side. This risk persists even today."

Also read: Maharashtra government announces Rs 11,500 crore flood relief package

The activists' list of empty buildings for rehabilitation would be verified by the government, they were told

The houses of the 510 families are located on a hill along the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. "Since it is forest land, there is no drainage system. Houses are made of plastic and bamboo as pucca construction is restricted. Hence, they are severely affected during every monsoon. Their dangerous living conditions are a good enough reason to immediately rehabilitate them," Khan said.

Move them to transit camps

The delegation further requested that the residents be "rehabilitated in the vicinity of their settlement so that their livelihood and children's education are not affected". The delegation suggested that empty PTC (Permanent Transit Camps) buildings in Kandivli would be ideal. "The minister agreed to verify the list of empty PTC buildings and get it approved by the cabinet," said Khan.

Earlier this month, several activists including Lara Jesani from People's Union for Civil Liberties, Brinelle D'Souza from Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Mumbai and TISS, Shweta Damle from Habitat and Livelihood Welfare Association, and Sitaram Shelar from Centre for Promotion of Democracy and Khan had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray about the hazardous living conditions of thousands of families settled atop hills along the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and requested for their rehabilitation.