TISS to ‘adopt’ M Ward,help boost its development

“Located on the outskirts of the city,M Ward has been one of the most inclusive wards in the city and the most neglected from the point of view of infrastructure and human development. The BMC’s human development measure across the wards of Mumbai noted that M Ward,home to a large migrant population,had the lowest human development measure (0.05) compared to the city’s average of 0.56. Low availability of health services and highest illiteracy rates are also its characteristics,” said TISS professor Amita Bhide,who is part of the project.

“However,it’s now undergoing rapid transformations of two kinds. One is associated with the low land values,which have brought the ward into focus as being the recipient of a large resettled population. The second is its strategic location on the Mumbai-Pune corridor. These rapid changes and the ensuing unaffordability have significant implications on the life of several slum communities in the ward. There’s a need to influence the developmental processes and ensure that the marginalised have access to resources and a say in governance,” she said.

The TISS project will draw up community/cluster level plans and scale it up to sectoral and ward-level plans related to housing,education and health. “It will involve negotiations and presentations to various stakeholders,including the BMC,political representatives and industries. This will then feed into the preparation of M Ward vision. The idea is to make it a part of the development plan of Mumbai,which is currently under way,” said Bhide. It will include preparation of a multi-faceted database through community-based geographical information system and community self-surveys.

The first phase of the two-year project will involve preparatory workshops and consultations in order to understand the key problems and needs of the people. The next stage will include mapping and database creation,along with drawing up various development plans.

“The various schools and centres of TISS will be involved in the project. A key strategy will be to generate knowledge through student research and other projects. They will be compiled,analysed and revised for use by community groups and stakeholders,” she added.