Ward watch | R-North: As high-rises soar and air quality dips, a Mumbai ward gasps for breath

Ahead of the BMC elections on January 15, locals from Dahisar and parts of Borivali, which fall under the R-North ward, are raising concerns over the impact of ill-monitored redevelopment projects and other civic issues such as public space encroachment, missing footpaths, and ill-maintained gardens, among others.

Citizen activist Himanshu Mehta, who has been active locally for the cause of the environment, said, “The Air Quality Index (AQI) in this area has gone for a toss. There is absolutely no monitoring on these building redevelopment construction sites. Regulations as basic as using water sprinklers to prevent dust from dispersing into the air are conveniently ignored, while the BMC turns a blind eye. Rising dust and pollution levels are causing health problems, with citizens crowding at local doctors’ dispensaries.”

Mehta also pointed out the poor condition of public gardens, which eroded the green cover that the R-North ward was known for until a few years ago. “We are fortunate to have ample gardens and open spaces. But what’s the point of having plenty of garden spaces when trees within are dying due to complete neglect by the civic body,” Mehta, a Borivali resident, questioned.

Another local, Gopal Zaveri, from Mumbai March, a citizens’ movement, highlighted the lack of planning to support the area’s rapid vertical growth. He said that the civic administration has failed to prepare for the impending rise in demand for essential resources such as water supply, electricity, roads and parking.

“Towers replacing residential buildings of three to four floors certainly means projected occupancy is likely to increase three times the current size. Mumbai has never faced water shortage, but is the existing system of water supply ready to meet the projected increased demand? Are our existing roads prepared to take the load of additional traffic? There are so many such questions that the civic administration has not even begun to address amid rampant redevelopment projects,” Zaveri said.

He also highlighted that there is only one civic-run hospital in the ward, Bhagwati Hospital, which is not running at its full capacity to cater to the existing population.

‘Nobody has delivered’

As the ward is home to sizable slums, the issue of redevelopment, according to locals, is not limited to middle-class housing societies. According to Sunil Yadav from Sthaniya Samiti, an organisation working for slums in Mumbai, “Civic administration has failed to ensure better organised slums. Even today, residents of the Ganpat Patil Nagar in Borivali, which falls in the R-North ward, are struggling for basic resources such as water and toilets,” said Yadav.

Locals also expressed how they are frustrated with constant assurances of the revival of the Dahisar River and its beautification. Highlighting that it was pending for over 10 years, Pankaj Trivedi from Mumbai March said, “Each time a new public representative comes with tall promises, but nobody has delivered on those.”

Noting his observation on the campaigning ahead of civic elections, Trivedi further said, “It is ironic to see candidates seeking votes on the basis of their party’s national achievements, while residents here continue to grapple with routine civic issues.”

Past records show that the political landscape of the area was dominated by the undivided Shiv Sena, which had five out of eight winning corporators from the last civic election. However, shifting political equations in the state are reflected here as well, with four out of those five corporators switching alliances.

While three joined the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, one of the strong candidates, Tejaswi Ghosalkar, joined the BJP and is now contesting in Ward 2 of R-North. Tejaswi is the daughter-in-law of Sena (UBT) stalwart and former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, who wields considerable political influence in the Dahisar-Borivali belt of the R-North ward. Her decision has resulted in a divided Ghosalkar family, especially with Ghosalkar’s younger son, Saurabh, contesting on a Sena (UBT) ticket from the neighbouring ward 7.

Key issues:

• Ill-monitored rampant redevelopment
• Rising pollution levels
• Neglected public gardens and open spaces
• Encroachments on footpaths