Mahul Gaon residents raise issues of cleanliness
The residents of Mahul Gaon at Chembur (east) who have been rehabilitated there by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are facing basic issues like unclean residential complex, limited water supply and inconvenience in daily commute. These residents have been constantly complaining to BMC seeking improvements to their living conditions.
When the Free Press Journal visited this village the residents complained mainly about cleanliness. The 72 buildings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) where these residents are shifted have unclean complexes with stocks of garbage piling on the street. Babasaheb Gangute, who has been staying there for two years, said, “The garbage is always lying in the building compound. The civic workers collect garbage from our homes but do not bother to clean the complex. The residents are also equally responsible for throwing waste in the complex area.”
The residents face other issues like limited water supply, leaking roofs and difficulty in commuting to the nearby railway stations. Arjun Kasbe, a resident said, “I have complained several times about leaking roofs but the civic body has not done anything about it. Fortunately, we get water supply and electricity over here.” While about daily commute, Rajesh Joshi, another resident, added, “It costs us Rs 16 by bus to and fro from our homes to either Kurla or Chembur railway station and it takes more than 30 minutes.”
These residents or Project Affected People (PAP) are shifted from slum settlements in areas like Andheri, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Vidyavihar. This move was following the Bombay High Court order directing the BMC to remove slums along the main water pipelines in the city and keep a 10 metre buffer zone around them.
The civic body has given the possession of these homes to these residents by providing each family an area of 225 square feet. According to the BMC, the residents are in a better condition as now they have their own rooms in a building, inhouse toilets and also basic facilities as compared to their earlier conditions in the slums.
According to BMC, the residents are in a better condition as now they have their own rooms in a building, in-house toilets and also basic facilities as compared to earlier conditions in the slums