Faced with the prospect of shelling out Rs 125 crore a year following the Bombay HC order directing the civic body to provide alternative accommodation for project-affected people living in Mahul, the BMC has decided to move the Supreme Court.

There are 72 buildings in Mahul, according to the BMC, of which it has allotted 5,550 homes to project-affected people. The high court ruled on Monday that no more families should be shifted to Mahul till alternative accommodation is provided to the current residents and directed the government to deposit Rs 15,000 per month as rent and Rs 45,000 as refundable deposit in the account of each occupant. "While the BMC has allocated homes to more than 5,500 families, only 3,500-4,000 families actually live in the area," said Nandu Shinde, a petitioner and a Mahul resident. "Others live on rent in other parts of the city as this area is severely polluted."