Bandra Government Colony residents plagued by dust from demolitions for new HC complex

Mumbai: In a few years, the Bombay high court will have a swanky new complex spread over a 30-acre land parcel in the Bandra Government Colony. But it could be at the cost of the health of people residing in the colony, whose lives have become a living hell ever since the demolition of old buildings began in August.

Residents have been bearing the brunt of dust pollution caused by the demolitions,claiming the authorities are flouting all guidelines established by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to mitigate air pollution. The dust gets blown around from the heaps of debris dumped on open land, with minimal cover—if any—in the form of a green cloth that’s barely a few feet high.

HT visited the area on Tuesday to find an open space that once housed three demolished buildings. The space is now dumped with loose soil left uncovered.

“The demolition of the buildings took place in September, and the soil was dumped in December,” said a resident who lives on the ground floor with her window and door facing the open space. “Since then, we have faced several problems here. Our kids keep coughing and sneezing all the time. At a time when people are affected by viral infection, this dust only worsens our health condition.”

A small road connecting the colony to a main road and eventually to the Western Express Highway sees heavy vehicular movement and traffic jams during peak hours, exacerbating the problem. “Because of the vehicles, the dust spreads through the road and blows into our house,” said a resident who requested anonymity. “Earlier, we didn’t have to clean as much; the area was spick and span. Now, every few hours, we have to clean. Our building will be demolished in about two years, but till then it is our problem to deal with.”

The open space has no lights, except for the surrounding streetlights, and is filled with heaps of soil, which has become a haven for drug addicts post-midnight. “The area was civilised before the demolition. Now, because of the open ground, people litter and urinate openly on the heaps of soil. It puts a bad impression on our kids,” said Santosh Kuchekar, father of an eight-year-old girl.

Pravin Naidu, who has been running a kirana shop for over 28 years at the crossroads of the government colony, has no choice but to sit there for most of the day, which has started affecting his health and business. “All my stock is dust-laden,” he said. “I have to wear a mask at times for safety, but it gets suffocating.”

Vijaya Salvi, another resident who lives next to the open space, said the colony has also seen several breakages in water pipelines that passed through the now-demolished buildings, flooding the road and stinking up the whole area.

Residents have been pleading for a barrier or fencing to keep the dust at bay and prevent encroachment, but to no avail. “We will soon file an official complaint with the public works department (PWD),” said Santosh Tannu, another resident of the government colony. An official from the PWD said, “The heaps of backfill soil were kept about a month ago to avoid encroachments and prevent cars from parking. We will take out the soil in about two months.”

Meanwhile, in the next lane, about six buildings have been demolished, and the construction debris remains uncovered on the open plot. A green cloth has been put up that acts as a boundary, but not enough to hold the dust and debris inside. The people in the vicinity, although bothered by it, cannot do much as they are in the process of relocating, as their buildings will be demolished in a month. “We keep our doors and windows closed and only step out when needed,” said a woman living on the first floor opposite a now-demolished building.

Swapnaja Kshirsagar, assistant commissioner of the BMC’s H East ward, said that the civic body had issued a show cause notice to the PWD around mid-December for lack of compliance with the dust mitigation guidelines. “If they are found flouting the guidelines in further rounds of inspection, then a stop-work [notice] will be issued,” she said.