‘Multiple fires on open plot in Pali Village but BMC indifferent’

MUMBAI: A week ago, when yet another fire erupted in an open space at Pali Village in Bandra West, the fear and anxiety of local residents spiralled. Fire in an open space in the area is not a new phenomenon—residents said the empty plot in the area had seen many fires in the past year, and they feared that one day one could engulf their buildings as well.

The plot in question is an open one with no barricades to prevent people from throwing waste into it. Anil D’souza, a resident, explained that the slum dwellers who previously lived there were promised houses and their homes were demolished. The rehab project got stuck after that, turning the plot into a dumping yard. “The garbage lying around keeps catching fire,” he said. “A lack of governance is leading to this menace. The authorities need to come together and fix this proactively.”

The fires happen because of bonfires lit by local youth who also use the plot to take drugs, said Jagdish H, a resident and shop owner. “We have written to the authorities, but the BMC officials say that cleaning garbage on private plots is not their problem,” he said. Added D’souza, “Young children are becoming victims of drugs. We see so many of them using that space for drugs. Despite our intervention, the problem has not been resolved.”

Shopkeepers said the entire imbroglio had affected their business as well. “The area is not good,” said Brijesh, a local shopkeeper. “Everyone just wants to throw garbage into that open plot. There is also an issue with the local youth consuming drugs.”

Last Saturday when a townhall meeting was held between the BMC and police officials, the angry and worried residents shared letters narrating their ordeal with them. “We have written to the authorities so many times,” said a resident. “I have personally called the fire brigade at least 15 times. There are so many fires in the dumping ground that we fear one will engulf our building and we too will be victims.”

To the residents’ dismay, however, the only response of the authorities present was that they would “investigate” the matter. The residents retorted that the matter had not been looked into for years now.

HT tried reaching out to Vinayak Vispute, assistant commissioner of H West ward, under whose jurisdiction the area falls. He did not respond to HT’s request for a comment.