October 10, 2025: Nearly two years after its construction, the municipal health post at Lotus Colony, Govandi, remains non-functional, leaving thousands of residents without access to basic healthcare. Officials claim the facility is awaiting a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the municipal fire department, despite electricity and water connections now being in place.
Residents allege that the health and fire departments have been passing the buck, blaming each other for the delay. Dr Pradeep Kashale, M East Ward Medical Officer of Health, confirmed that utility connections have been installed but that the facility cannot open until the fire department issues the required clearance.
However, R. B. Ghadge, Divisional Fire Officer and Public Information Officer for the area, said that a similar clearance had already been issued for the new section of Shatabdi Hospital in the same ward. “If the health department has applied for an NOC, there is no reason for the delay. We are ready to help expedite the process,” he stated.
The prolonged wait has deepened a public health crisis in one of Mumbai’s most vulnerable areas. The M East Ward, home to around eight lakh residents, records the city’s lowest life expectancy—just 39 years—compared to the national average of 71. It accounts for 9% of respiratory-related deaths and 16% of maternal mortality cases in Mumbai.
Environmental factors further compound the crisis. The ward includes the Deonar dumping ground, where waste incineration regularly impacts air quality. “Our health screening in August found that 65% of residents suffer from chronic cough,” said Mohsin Khan Pathan of Watavaran, an environmental advocacy group.
Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed, who has been lobbying for the centre’s opening, termed the delay a “public health emergency”, arguing that it violates citizens’ Right to Life and Health under Article 21.
Source: The Free Press Journal
