It has been exactly a month since the wall at Pimpripada (Malad) collapsed, claiming 31 lives and left over 90 people injured. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a notice to the contractors and also appointed a special investigation team from IIT-Bombay (IIT-B) and Veermata Jijamata Technological Institute (VJTI) to look into the case. The state government had announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the next in kin of the deceased. However, were all these promises really fulfilled and are the authorities doing enough?
On Thursday, August 1, Yogesh Bole-led Smayak group and students from Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work, Anubhav Mumbai, and DTSS college organised a silent protest to condemn government's inactions in the Malad wall collapse incident. The silent protest had started from Kurar village in Malad East which is just a stone throw away from Pimpripada. Over 70 people from all walks of life participated in the protest with majority being students.
Also Read: BMC Not Responsible For Deaths Due To Wall Collapse In Malad: Shiv Sena Sanjay Raut
Speaking about the reason for the protest and his demands, Yogesh Bole said,
It's been exactly one month since the Malad wall collapse and people are still homeless. The kin of the deceased was promised with ₹5 lakhs from the state but was only given ₹4 lakhs. The BMC has suggested that the people should be relocated to the toxic hell of Mahul which has been declared uninhabitable by the High Court as well as the Supreme Court. The kids have dropped out of school because they're homeless and the condition of people is worsening.
Bole continued,
"All these factors really disturbed me and that's why I planned to hold this peaceful protest. We have put forward 4 demands which are as follows:
1. People should be relocated to a better place, soon.
2. The kids should resume school soon and whatever important documents they have lost because of the incident should be assigned to them again. The schools are not issuing documents which have caused a great problem in them securing admission in colleges.
3. The injured have been given a mere compensation of ₹5000 which is not sufficient, we demand that the state should at least give them ₹1 lakh.
4. It has been ages since the people have been supplied with adequate water and electricity, therefore our last demand is that the state should provide these basic amenities."
The protest was concluded by the group distributing utensils, relief items, and clothes to the people who were affected by the wall collapse.
Also Read: Dongri Building Collapse: The MHADA, BMC Blame Game
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