Night shelters for migrants to come up in SoBo

Proposed on the lines of Delhi’s Rain Basera, the civic body will construct night shelters across 24 wards in the city. Makarand Narwekar, a former corporator, said that three locations have been identified for the project

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon kickstart the works of a night shelter for migrants in ward A of South Mumbai. Proposed on the lines of Delhi’s Rain Basera, the civic body will construct night shelters across 24 wards in the city.

Mumbai, India - June 11, 2023: Migrant workers staying on footpaths, at Nariman Point, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

In a survey conducted in the island city, it was found that around 1,500 migrants live on pavements and encroach footpaths. Locals had also complained to city’s guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar about the issue in a meeting and an order was issued to construct night shelters in every ward and a scheme to rehabilitate the migrants.

A senior civic official said, “The migrants usually sell balloons and flowers. They bathe on footpaths and are a nuisance to pedestrians and locals.”

Colaba and Marine Drive have the maximum migrant population residing on footpaths with ample complaints from residents’ associations and a meeting will be held to discuss rehabilitation plans for them this week.

As per rules, for every 1 lakh population in a ward there should be a night shelter with a strength of at least 100 people available. However, such facilities are not available in South Mumbai.

Makarand Narwekar, a former corporator, said that three locations have been identified for the project.

“The BMC has a land in Colaba market, which has a reservation for housing on it. The open non-encroached compound is the most likely location for the project,” he said, adding, “Earlier, the civic body used to allow migrants to stay in municipal schools, but the practice had stopped. Shelters were also started under bridges, but they were stopped after court intervention.”

The former corporator said that migarants are found squatting next to Gandhi Garden in Colaba, Churchgate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railways stations. “They are majorly tribals, who sell odd items like gajras, books and balloons at the signal. They are not involved in criminal activities, but they do indulge in open defecation and bathing on pavements,” Narwekar said.

Narwekar added that Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar too had raised the issue multiple times that A is the only ward in the city where the floating population is 10 times more than the residents.

“The influx of population, which comes in the morning and returns in the night is more whether it is RBI, police headquarters or Mantralaya. We want a separate budget allocation considering the floating population in ward A,” the former corporator added.

Bella Shah, a member of My Dream Colaba, said, “In the lane opposite to the INS Shikra, the migrants reside on footpaths with their families, they cook, wash clothes, sleep and convert it into a home. Then they move to Sassoon Dock, Cuffe Parade, Radio club and keep rotating. There are also a few drunkards and illegal hawkers, and the issue is getting worse.”

Welcoming the BMC proposal to construct the night shelter, Mahendra Hemdev, a resident of Marine Drive, said, “The migrants use bus stops to sleep. It is heartening to learn about establishing shelters for migrants, offering them crucial support, especially during the challenging monsoon. Furthermore, it would be great if employment opportunities could be created for them.”