Battle for BMC : After 26/7, state of Mithi river still remains abysmal

Overview

L-Ward largely comprises Kurla, Chandivli, Asalfa and Sakinaka. It also includes the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bhabha Hospital, Nehru Nagar, Kamgar Nagar, Shishak Nagar, Everard Nagar and Swadesh Mill areas. This ward has a large number of slum tenements in areas like Kasaiwada, Jarimari and Kajupada. L-ward has six vulnerable settlements, where people stay on hills and landslide-prone areas, and this directly puts them in high risk of natural hazards.

A highlight of this ward is the Mithi river that flows through it. Although authorities took up the Mithi River Development project, pegged at over Rs 1600 crore, it has missed its deadlines and the issue of widening of the river is stuck in a legal battle.

Some of main junctions of Bandra-Kurla Complex, Sakinaka and Chandivli, which connect the western and eastern suburbs, fall under L ward. A stretch of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) also falls in this ward. However, narrow roads and encroachments cause traffic jams.

A part of the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport, which is to be expanded, falls under this ward. However, the expansion project is stuck due to encroachment on airport land.
Political scenario

In the 2012 civic elections, Samajwadi Party made its way into the L ward with three corporators of a total of 15. Shiv Sena leads with four corporators. MNS and NCP also have two corporators each. Congress and BJP have no representatives from this ward. There are also four independent corporators in L ward.

The current Member of Parliament from the area is Poonam Mahajan from the BJP. The area is also represented by four MLAs. Mangesh Kudalkar and Sanjay Potnis are from the Shiv Sena, while Mohammad Arif (Naseem) Khan represents Congress. A small portion of L-ward is under MLA Prakash Phaterphekar's (Shiv Sena) constituency.

In the 2017 civic polls, Shiv Sena will fight hard to retain its power while Congress and BJP will have to struggle hard to make their way to the civic body from this ward.

Issues

80 per cent of the Mithi river from a total length of 17.8 km flows in L ward. After the 26/7 floods, BMC took up Mithi river Development project. However, it has failed meet its deadline. The river is still polluted with plastic and garbage. The development and expansion of the river is at standstill as the matter of demolition of slums is stuck in court

For years, the BMC has failed to rehabilitate the people residing in vulnerable areas. Every monsoon L-ward faces landslides, however, people continue to stay at risk

The roads in Kurla have not undergone expansion which causes traffic jams at some of the city's main junctions like BKC, Sakinaka, Chandivli and approach roads to SCLR

The areas in and around Kurla face water logging every monsoon

Residents speak

The corporation is slow in taking planned measures in L-ward. The rehabilitation of the vulnerable settlements is very essential as every year the area witnesses landslides and residents face inconvenience. The Mithi River project is also far behind than planned. More than 60 per cent of the population reside in slums. The encroachment is widespread, however the civic body is not acting against it. The ward faces water logging every monsoon.
—Anil Galgali, Activist and resident of Sakinaka

The traffic in Kurla and surrounding areas has increased drastically in last couple of years due to SCLR. However, compared to the traffic rise, the roads in Kurla are very narrow. The L-ward has city's main junctions like BKC, Sakinaka, Chandivali which connects the two suburbs but there is no widening of roads resulting in more traffic. In last five years, illegal construction has risen and hawkers continue to cause inconvenience. The Mithi river was a nulla in 2006 and continuous to be the same.
—Ajay Shukla, President of Kurla Vikas Manch