Stepping up their fight against Mumbai’s lone biomedical waste plant, residents of Govandi, Deonar and Mankhurd have now decided to boycott the BMC elections. The locals, who had earlier moved the National Green Tribunal accusing SMS Envoclean of polluting their neighbourhoods, said politicians and elected public representatives have abandoned them and it’s time to desert those contesting in the upcoming civic elections. The residents have released “Boycott BMC election 2022” posters on social media and plan to distribute physical copies in their areas. 

Stressing that they were tired of assurances about shifting Envoclean’s plant to Khalapur, citizens from Govandi and Deonar have moved the national green court against the state government on May 28. In their petition, they alleged that tuberculosis (TB), asthma and other health complications among thousands of residents have been aggravated because of the smoke being spewed by the plant that burns down city hospitals’ waste.