Mumbai: Several residents from slum settlements in Mumbai come to Versova Beach, spend the entire night, then return home the following morning, driven by the need to escape the unbearable daytime heat, often intensified by constant power outages.
Photos of people sleeping on the beach have taken over the internet, triggering a debate about housing, poverty and the use of public spaces.
Before the photos, a local citizen had flagged the issue at the Versova coastline, asking the individuals to leave Mumbai if they “don’t have space to live.”
“This video is from Versova. Recently saw a similar video from Bhayandar Khadi. Have never seen this before in Mumbai. If you don’t have space to live, then please leave Mumbai, but don’t spoil public places like this,” the user wrote, sharing the video.
However, the videos emphasise the struggles of families living in substandard conditions, forcing them to seek comfort and relief elsewhere.
While some users claimed to have witnessed a similar scene at Carter Road in Bandra, others criticised the government for allowing the situation to reach this point.
“Instead of telling government to remove them ask the government first ki aisi naubat kyu aai hai in our city and in our country don’t say BC words they must be having good reason to sleep there and police not stopping them is a sign that they even feel poor people pain,” a comment read.
Another read, “How is this allowed?? What is happening in this country, how unsafe is this, also showing Mumbai in a very bad light. Why is this allowed in the first place?”
