Maharashtra Assembly Election: 1,600 residents of Mahul resettlement colony unable to vote

Maharashtra recorded an average voter turnout of 60.5% till 6 pm on October 21. This figure, however, does not include  around 1,600 project-affected people (PAP) from a resettlement area in Mahul, Chembur region in Mumbai — their names were removed from the electoral list of the area they originally lived in.

"Our names were removed from the voter lists of the areas we used to inhabit, and now we do not get to vote," said Anita Dhole, a resident of Mahul and an activist with the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan.

Bilal Khan, an activist working towards resettlement of Mahul residents, said the names of these people were taken off voter lists at a time when the Bombay High Court's order had already directed authorities to move residents out of Mahul. Of these 1,600 people, most are a part of those who were moved to Mahul from Ghatkopar and Vidya Vihar.

Khan added that the people were not left with much of a choice; they did not wish to have their names on the electoral list in the Mahul area as they have been striving to be moved out of the area. Also, the step to remove their names was taken at a time when the court had already asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to ensure that people be moved out of Mahul or be paid Rs 15,000 as monthly rent along with a deposit of Rs 40,000.

Over the past few years, several people have been resettled in tranches in the Mahul resettlement colony, a BMC project. The colony comprises 72 buildings that house nearly 5,500 families who moved to the area from different parts of the city. These people were displaced as a result of demolition of their settlements, most of them hailing from areas around the Tansa Pipeline, Andheri-Marol, Kurla West.

The resettlement colony in Mahul has been deemed unfit for habitation by several environmental bodies, including the National Green Tribunal (NGT). This is because the colony is situated amid heavy chemical factories, refineries and treatment plants, and toxins from these have led to severe pollution of air and water in the area.