This ‘L’ does not stand for legal

One of most neglected,it is also a hotbed of illegal construction. BMC data show there are over 45,000 unauthorised structures in Kurla,Sakinaka and Jari Mari. The 15.88 sq-km ward also comprising Chunabhatti and parts of LBS Road has the Tansa pipeline,Vikhroli and Ghatkopar hills on the east,Mithi river on the west,Sion Creek on the south and Powai on the north.

According to Census 2001,Kurla has 232 notified slum settlements. Of the 7.78 lakh people in the ward,6.59 lakh,or nearly 85 per cent,live in slums.

Slums in Kurla have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons — be it the Nehru Nagar rape and murder,discovery of mysterious oil-like substance flowing beneath the shanties in 2011 or the frequent landslides and wall collapses during monsoon in Kasaiwada,Quresh Nagar,Jari Mari and Kajupada.

“It is one of the largest and most poorly maintained wards. Dotted with dilapidated buildings and illegal construction,it has only one civic hospital and one civic maternity home. A plot reserved for a hospital along 90 Feet Road in Sakinaka was encroached on. There is not a single degree college in the ward,” said RTI activist Anil Galgali,also chairman of NGO Athak Seva Sangh.

Of the around 156 landslide-prone sites identified by BMC in 2012,15 are in L ward. “In the past 15 years,Kurla has witnessed over 25 major landslides in Jari Mari,Sunderbaug,Sanjay Nagar,Khadi 3 and Mohili village. More than 200 people died and 250 were injured in these landslides,” Galgali said.

Residents and social activists alleged illegal construction and encroachment were rising under political patronage.

“Many major infrastructure projects pass through L ward. Over 900 slum families have been shifted to Mankhurd but failure of the authorities to shift the remaining is delaying projects. Kurla Subway has not been completed even after seven years. All because of corrupt civic authorities and politicians,” said Jitendra Gupta of Kurla West who is a member of citizen transport committee.

Galgali said,“Encroachment and illegal construction are rampant due to a nexus between civic officials,councillors and builders.”

The ward scored six in a standard of living survey by BMC,much below the human development measure average for the city.

A 2009-2010 survey by Praja Foundation called it the unhealthiest ward after civic dispensaries registered 14,593 cases of sensitive diseases. Last year,the number increased to 16,219.

However,officials said slums and encroachment were problems not restricted to their ward.

“We are concentrating on cleanliness. We are putting a lot of efforts in collecting garbage. There is an urgent requirement for traffic management as the many bottlenecks lead to snarls. We are acting on complaints of illegal construction with whatever manpower we have,” said ward officer Harshad Kale.

Leena Shukla,corporator representing ward 153 (Kajupada hill to Asalfa village),said a major part of her fund was used to construct public toilets,repair drains and build and repair approach roads.

“Almost 95 per cent of the area in my ward is slum. L ward has only one civic hospital,which is a very sorry situation. I have already submitted a proposal for a few nursing homes.”

Kurla is one of three areas in the city where BMC recorded the most water thefts. Hawkers,poor quality roads and pavements and encroachment on open spaces are the other problems.

Mohammed Shaikh,corporator from ward 156,said apart from public toilets and sewage lines,he was spending money on development of schools.

“Schools in our area are in a pathetic condition. They do not have sanitation facilities and students sit on the floor. Existing classrooms are not enough to accommodate the large number of students.

“The area is surrounded by slums and there are frequent complaints of water theft. We,with the BMC water department,are working to stop thefts.”

dipti.sonawala@expressindia.com