Local Lens: Big City

“There is no water supply,electricity and the toilets are full of stench and garbage,which makes it very difficult for use. The only alternative is to spend our own money and get it cleaned,but that is very expensive,” said Ratna Jadhav,a resident. The women,who mostly work as domestic helps in the locality,are either forced to use public toilets in neighbouring areas or seek permission from their employers to use toilets in their houses.

The slum has about eight public toilets,four each for men and women.

Sandhya Yadav,corporator in the K East ward,said,“The problem is mostly limited to one toilet,where the organisation responsible for cleaning it is not efficient. We have directed the administration to look into the matter.”

No street light makes lane unsafe for women

A lane without street lights in Ghatkopar’s Bhim Nagar-Ram Nagar area,largely comprising slums,has been an issue of major concern for residents,especially working women,who do not feel safe while returning from work.

N-Ward corporator Ritu Tawde said women in the area work mostly as domestic helps and don’t have fixed working hours. Some of them return as late as 9.30 pm,she said. “Just three-four months ago,a girl was raped in that lane. There has been another incident in the same lane earlier,too,” Tawde said. She added that the police have repeatedly received complaints from women in the area.

“They send a patrolling team to the area only after I call them. After that,the place is deserted again,” Tawde rued.

Rajni Gurav,a resident of the hilly stretch,said she tries to finish her work in homes nearby as fast as she can so that she makes it home before dark. “I am scared to walk in the dark lane.”

Tawde said she has written to the civic administration several times. “I have repeatedly said I would use my corporator’s fund for installing the light poles. I also got an additional Rs 10 lakh for electrification of the lane,” she said. She added that she has been told that installation of 22 poles has been sanctioned by the corporation,and the request is now with power supplier Reliance Energy.

Garbage,dengue cause for concern

Residents of P-North ward (Malad west) have been worried over the increasing number of dengue and malaria cases being reported from their locality. The have written several times to the civic officials regarding the same. The worst affected area has been Malwani,from where a few deaths have been reported.

“The number of illegal shanties in the area has increased and so has garbage. The authorities do take action on our complaints about garbage,but it reappears,” said Sudhir Mane,a resident of Daffodils building. The residents have also been asking the authorities for better medical facilities and cheaper medicines for the poor.

Corporator Cyril D’Souza said the civic authorities have been taking action and the problem is under control. “We have been having regular meetings with residents about cleanliness and making the surroundings mosquito-free. We are working on the medical facilities,” said D’Souza.

Potholes lead to traffic chaos

Residents of Andheri complain it has been nearly a year-and-a-half since major roads close to the congested areas around the railway station were repaired. Locals are angry as the monsoon has left the roads pockmarked,but the local corporator has expressed helplessness. Both major and minor roads here are in varying stages of disrepair,which leads to traffic chaos daily. Admitting to the bad condition of roads and delay in getting them fixed,Mohsin Haider,K-West ward corporator,said,“I wrote to the roads department a year-and-a-half ago,but the chief engineer claims that he has not received it. Further,after e-tendering was introduced,no reputed contractor has come forward.

The work of small contractors is not up to the standards. The condition of Dadabhai Road that connects Navrang cinema to Bhavans College,Gilbert Hill Road and Dawood Baug Road is extremely poor.”

“When a resident complains about a pothole,I cannot even get it filled. When I approached the contractors who were earlier given the work of filling these potholes,they said the tenure of their contract was over and the contract amount had been completely spent,” he added.

Illegal constructions pose threat

Following building collapses in Mumbai and Thane districts this year,corporators and residents of N Ward,which includes Ghatkopar and Vidyavihar,and S Ward,comprising parts of Vikhroli and Bhandup,have come across several instances of illegal construction and modifications in their wards.

Ritu Tawde,corporator form N Ward,said,“Several buildings have certain unauthorised elements. The building proposals department,fire brigade and ward office have failed to curb these irregularities.” She said wherever possible,she has flagged the cases of unauthorised construction to the BMC. She added that the practice is so rampant that it is difficult to even find out the exact number of such buildings.

Residents complain that illegal modifications such as turning the basement and parking into underground showrooms for shops and converting terraces into extra floors are common along M G Road in Ghatkopar.

Nilesh Patil,a member from S ward Advanced Locality Management,said,“Illegal construction is not just limited to slums but is rampant even in highrises in the ward.”

Contributed by Sharvari Patwa,Mayura Janwalkar,Megha Sood,Srinath Rao and Priyal Dave