Local Lens

The hilly terrain at Rahul Nagar in N-ward comprising Chembur,has become a danger zone for residents.

Clear & present danger

The hilly terrain at Rahul Nagar in N-ward comprising Chembur,has become a danger zone for residents. The area,which has over 500 shanties,has seen a wall collapse and landslide since the start of monsoon. Last week,a safety wall that was constructed to prevent rolling stones from crashing onto the shanties collapsed under the weight of illegal construction,while in another incident,a 100-tonne rock came crashing down. No causalities were reported,said Municipal Councillor Bharti Subhodh,who added that over 1,000 people,stay in the shanties. Every year,a wall collapse,tree fall or landslide is reported in the area,however,residents refuse to vacate their houses,she said. Subhodh said,The civic body has offered them alternative accommodation to 210 settlements in Nahur and Vikroli,however,residents refuse to shift. By staying is such a dangerous area,people are risking their lives daily. Each year,notices informing people about the dangers of landslides and tree falls are put out across Rahul Nagar. Several times such notices are personally delivered to residents, she added. Last year,two separate incidents of tree fall and a landslide was reported in Rahul Nagar.

Drainage woes

Residents of Jantasevak Society near Mahim bus depot have been grappling with drainage problems for years. The 40-year-old slum,home to nearly 20,000 people,does not have a drainage,network leading to water-logging during monsoon and causing a stench. Residents have made their own arrangements for drainage by digging a portion of their huts under kitchen sinks,inserting draining pipes and cementing the holes. They have to spend money and get it cleaned every six months, said Taruna Kumbhar,a local activist. Shraddha Patil,who was elected corporator of the ward in February last year,said she had not received any such complaints from the residents of this area. I will ask my ward-level volunteers to visit the area and check out the problem. I will take action accordingly, Patil said.

pipeline problem

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Apart from the usual problems of waterlogging that come with heavy rain,residents in Malwani have been bearing the brunt of waterlogging from illegal water pipelines bursting. Water pipeline bursts have submerged the entire Rathodi locality in ward number 22. There are many illegal water connections in the slums of Malwani. We have lodged many complaints with BMC about illegal water connections but no action has been taken, said Saurabh Pai,a resident. Area corporator Cyril Dsouza said when complaints are received,they are directed to the officials concerned and the illegal water connections are cut. At present there are no complaints of illegal water connections in my locality, claimed Dsouza.

hurdle ride

The CST-Kurla Road near Kapadia Nagar,Kurla,has proved a menace for motorists and pedestrians alike,as scrap dealers store their scrap on the road and pavement. Any time of the day,there is always a traffic jam owing to the scrap metal and scrap cars carelessly left on the roads and pavement. Mumbai Traffic Police and BMC have done nothing. Only when VIPs visit the area,the road is cleared up and soon the dealers are back on the street, said a resident of Kapdia Nagar. Area corporator Saida Khan of Samajwadi Party said,I had written to BMC last year in 2012 while I was ward committee chairman but no action was taken. It is the duty of the officials concerned to see that encroachments are removed,we have done our duty by informing them.

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