HC warns slum dwellers littering streets of forfeiture of rehab rights

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions over the continued dumping of municipal solid waste at the Kanjurmarg landfill

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday warned that the right of slum dwellers in Mumbai to permanent alternate accommodation would be forfeited if they were found dumping garbage in public places, in violation of the court’s order for maintaining public hygiene.

HC warns slum dwellers littering streets of forfeiture of rehab rights

“This is a serious issue in Mumbai. Citizens think they can encroach on any land parcel, they will dirty the public places and will not coordinate with the civic body. They will threaten civic officials and the police,” said the division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale.

“What attitude is this,” the judges asked. “People are resisting even basic cleanliness. This isn’t acceptable at all. For slums, we will get their right to a permanent alternate accommodation forfeited. If you want to live in this city, follow basic principles. If you throw garbage anywhere and do not follow the rules, we will forfeit your rights.”

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions over the continued dumping of municipal solid waste at the Kanjurmarg landfill, saying maintenance of public hygiene was a collective responsibility and required citizens to aid the municipal machinery.

On Thursday, the court expressed concern over the indiscriminate dumping of garbage and said that slum dwellers could not dump “anywhere and everywhere”.

“We understand that there is a government policy and these slum dwellers are a vote bank but still they need to be disciplined, they just cannot claim a right to accommodation or in situ accommodation etc,” the bench observed, saying the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) cannot increase the burden of the civic body and it must “control the slums”.

The court appreciated efforts taken by local wards, and added, “We want every ward officer to follow the rules. Accountability ward wise must be set. Week to week feedback must be there.”

THe court noted that littering on public roads infringes upon constitutional rights of citizens, guaranteed under the right to life.

“We can’t have such unruly citizens. Their rights have to be forfeited else they will not learn a lesson. Let us be very clear, these slum dwellers will have to mend their ways. They cannot get everything for free. If they want to live in Mumbai they will have to mend their ways,” the bench said.

The court said that the SRA would have to ensure that residents of rehabilitation facilities followed basic cleanliness rules.

“They cannot say that they won’t adhere to the rules. We don’t recognise these types of citizens. We can’t have a situation wherein they create obstacles in the path of the civic body,” the bench said.