PIL opposes State plan to place inmates in quarantine in Mahul

State seeks time to reply to plea filed by mother of undertrial at Arthur Road jail

Breathing trouble: Petitioners have said Mahul is unsuitable to quarantine COVID-19 patients as it is heavily polluted due to the presence of industries.

The State government on Tuesday sought time till Friday to respond to a plea filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the State’s plan to use buildings set apart for the rehabilitation of project affected persons in Mahul as quarantine centres for COVID-19 patients, including 184 positive inmates of Arthur Road Central Jail.

The local arms department of the Mumbai Police has already informed prison authorities that the buildings are unsuitable to quarantine affected inmates.

‘Heavily polluted area’

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Sharda Tevar, the mother of an undertrial at Arthur Road jail, and Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, an NGO working for the rights of the homeless, slum dwellers and marginalised communities.

The plea said Mahul is unsuitable to quarantine COVID-19 patients as the area is heavily polluted due to the presence of industries.

The petition said project affected persons who were rehabilitated in Mahul reported severe respiratory ailments like asthma and tuberculosis, soon after shifting to the area. The plea said turning buildings in the polluted area into quarantine centres will be counter-productive as COVID-19 patients suffer respiratory problems.

The petition said three judicial forums have declared the area uninhabitable owing to high levels of toxic pollution, and the High Court in September last year restrained the State government from shifting slum dwellers or project affected persons to the area.