Within just a couple of weeks of 202 Mahul families getting the keys to their houses in Gorai, the lockdown brought the process of allocating another 584 flats in Malad to a grinding halt. While lockdown restrictions were relaxed in June, there were delays on the part of both, civic officials busy with COVID-19-related duties and residents, who are yet to submit a list of eligible candidates due to internal disagreements.

202 families got homes in Gorai

After continued protests and appeals to Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, 202 families got keys to new homes in Gorai in the first week of March. While MHADA had given 300 flats to the BMC, the allocation of 98 flats was pending. Soon after, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority also handed over 584 flats in Appapada, Malad east. As the lockdown began, Mahul residents, who have suffered long because of high levels of pollution in the area, had to stay put.