Located in the easternmost end of Mumbai, far from the real estate advertisements boasting of “world-class” facilities in high-rises, the M-East ward that covers areas such as Deonar, Govandi, Mankhurd and Ramabai Nagar among others, reflects the inequalities within the city.
In 2009, the ward ranked the lowest in the human development index as per a report authored by the civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The report, which has not seen an annual update since, also said that the ward’s average life expectancy was 39, compared to the city’s average then of 53 years.
Before and after the 2009 report, issues of the ward have been repeatedly flagged – the latest in 2023 by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission – but the challenging realities of the people living in the ward have not improved.
The rights commission had in 2023 given directives to the BMC, highlighting the need to prepare a roadmap to improve public infrastructure and existing civic amenities in the ward.
It said that the concentration of polluting and hazardous activities-the nearly century old Deonar dumping ground and the city’s sole bio-waste treatment plant are in the ward, along with over 600 licensed and unlicensed industries-poor standards of infrastructure, socio-economic deprivation, have resulted in high levels of mortality, morbidity and threat infectious diseases.
From adequate budgetary allocation to tackle the issue of malnourishment affecting children and women living there to use of 155 hectares of vacant land in the ward for development of public infrastructure, were the suggestions made to the BMC.
Reports have flagged the prevalence of tuberculosis, respiratory and other issues, given the bad air quality of the area and the living conditions.
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Activist Bilal Khan, who was appointed the amicus curiae in the case, says that he has not heard of any updates made towards the implementation of the order so far.
Khan had sought to issue a time-frame for the directives to be effectively implemented.
“The complaint filed in 2019 before the commission focused on health infrastructure. There is an urgent need to upgrade the existing health facilities. There is one public hospital in Govandi catering for the large population with those living on the other side of the ward, in areas like Mandala in Mankhurd, needing to shell out Rs 100-200 to reach the hospital. There can be an increase in the number of municipal dispensaries which can remain operational until evening since the working population is unable to access them as they are open only for a few hours in the day,” said Khan.
The civic hospital of the ward, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Shatabdi Hospital, is located in Govandi, and caters to the neighbouring ward of M West as well, with locals having protested earlier this year seeking improvement in functioning of the hospital and other maternity centres, after facing issues with vacancies of doctors and lack of diagnostic facilities.
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This has led to mushrooming of illegal health clinics, which have even proved fatal for some due to wrong treatment or misdiagnosis.
The lack of quality facilities make the local population vulnerable to choosing what is available-formal or informal-including health, education-unauthorised education centres, too are rampant-and even water and electricity connections. A survey report by NGO Apnalaya in 2022 across 10 wards to study the Living Conditions of the Urban Poor, found that nearly 70 per cent of the respondents surveyed in M-East ward identified water, sanitation and hygiene as priority concerns, with many having to shell out their monthly household expenses on medical needs, sanitation and water.
“Even today there are areas like the transit camp area in Patra Chawl in Mankhurd which have no formal supply of electricity. There are many other areas which only have informal water connections. These cost each home Rs 500 per month, while a water connection bill shared among five households would usually not even cost Rs 100 a month,” said 29-year-old Shakhir Hussain Shaikh, a resident of Govandi, who works with Pani Haq Samiti.
Hussain says that the lack of facilities are not met with helpless acceptance but citizens here do voice their concerns in multiple forums.
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He says that for 15 councillor seats, there have been over 180 applications, denoting the interest in local issues, but adds that it has not resulted in much change with need for a push from the public representatives.
Of the 15 councillors elected in 2017 in the ward, seven belonged to undivided Shiv Sena, five to Samajwadi party, three each to BJP, NCP and AIMIM.
