The meeting was held after the residents threatened to intensify their agitation against the “slow pace” of the committee formed with a promise from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to find a “quick” solution to the problem. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)Mahul residents, who were told by a committee appointed by the Chief Minister that it cannot find alternative accommodation for them, have said they will continue to agitate till their demand of relocation is met.
The committee headed by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta had called a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of Mahul residents. Bilal Khan of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao said no representatives from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Slum Rehabilitation Authority attended the meeting. According to Khan, officials said they “forgot” to invite the agency representatives.
The meeting was held after the residents threatened to intensify their agitation against the “slow pace” of the committee formed with a promise from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to find a “quick” solution to the problem.
On Wednesday, residents said they were shocked to learn that the committee has concluded that there is no solution, at least for now. “The commissioner read out the reports sent by all housing agencies. They mention there are vacant houses but those are reserved for people who will be affected by future projects. Our only hope was that we will get relocated to the 300 MHADA houses. But the commissioner refused to allot those till MHADA decides,” Khan said.
“The meeting was a big disappointment. Residents are facing slow death in Mahul due to high pollution and lack of basic infrastructure. Our fight will continue till the 5,000-odd residents get relocated to safer places. The issue needs to be resolved on an urgent basis,” he added.
