22,483 families are living in dangerous places
The loss of life and financial loss due to landslides in Mumbai is not new and the state government is not serious about remedying the landslides for the last 12 years. In the last 29 years, 310 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in the landslide accidents.
In 25 out of 36 constituencies in Mumbai, 257 places are classified as dangerous in hilly areas. RTI activist Anil Galgali said the Mumbai Slum Improvement Board had recommended to the state government to relocate 9657 huts out of 22,483 huts in the area as a matter of priority. It was proposed to protect the remaining huts by building ramparts around the hills. Surprisingly the Maharashtra government isn’t aware about 327 places due to landslides during the monsoon.
Between 1992 and 2023, 310 people died and more than 300 were injured in landslides. It was recommended by the Mumbai Slum Improvement Board, which conducted a comprehensive survey in 2010, and if it had been acted upon in time, the deaths of people living in hilly areas could have been prevented. Following the Board’s report, on September 1, 2011, the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had ordered the preparation of an action plan. However, 12 years have passed since then but the Urban Development Department is still implementing it, none of which has drawn up an Action Taking Plan (ATP) as ordered by the Chief Minister.
