Local representative writes to civic chief raising concern over erosion of 200-ft rock structure
The recent landslide in the Malin village of Pune district that claimed over one hundred lives on Wednesday and the death of a six-year-old in Chembur in a minor landslide the next day, has put the focus on landslide-prone spots in Mumbai and the threat particularly to thousands of slumdwellers in such area.
More than 300 danger spots
While the BMC records show there are 266 such spots, a RTI reply from the state housing department states there are 327 such dangerous spots.
Gilbert Hill in Andheri (West), which ironically is a grade 2 heritage site, is one such spot. While thousands of people stay at the base of the rock structure, there is continuous erosion that could result in an accident.
What is Gilbert Hill?
On Saturday, Andheri corporator Ameet Satam wrote to civic chief Sitaram Kunte highlighting the danger at Gilbert Hill.
Satam informs that the 200-ft high rock, predominantly black basalt that was squeezed out of the earth 65 million years ago, is one of two such rocks in the world. The other is in the United States.
Why this sudden concern?
"Parts of the rock have got eroded in the past few years, while quarrying and other activities are prohibited in the vicinity," the letter states. "Despite this, construction activities are taking place around the rock and there is continuous mushrooming of illegal slums and structures at the base of the rock, leading to further degeneration of the rock and its erosion. Builders have flouted all norms while constructing buildings around the rock and slumlords are continuously adding to the slums at the base of the rock."
"In case of a Malin-like incident, the lives of thousands of people will be at risk and the administration will be to blame as no action has been taken against illegal activities going on at the base of the rock. Any such accident will be a man-made accident rather than
a natural disaster," Satam said.
What is BMC's response?
Vishwas Shankarwar, assistant municipal commissioner, K/West ward, said the land where the rock is located belongs to the government and the BMC can't do much about it. "We have issued notices to the slumdwellers in April, but they haven't moved. Unless they are provided alternative accommodation they won't shift and that is not in our control," he said.
Shekhar Channe, suburban collector, said, "Like Gilbert Hill there are many illegal slums that have mushroomed in the suburbs. When the monsoon started, our staff had once again instructed them to shift, but they didn't pay any heed. We do not have a provision to shift them as yet."
Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte has called a meeting on Tuesday to discuss clarity of roles for agencies like Mhada, SRA, the housing department and the collectorate.
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