This week, Nikhil Desai, member of the F North (ward) Citizen Federation talks about how the association got the work around Five Gardens, Matunga, done on multiple occasions. He shares…
In F/North ward (ward 174), we are blessed with a lot of recreation parks and playgrounds. But as with everything that the BMC touches, these grounds lie in a pathetic condition, due to years of neglect and lack of will on the part of the elected representatives or the BMC garden department officers. Imagine the apathy when, year after year, the BMC garden department is able to use barely 10 per cent of the funds allotted in its budget. Our ALM takes up issues such as roads, footpaths, traffic and safety, garbage and greenery. Even when the famous Five Gardens were taken up for improvement by the BMC, their spending (in crores of rupees) was planned poorly. As citizens are not consulted during planning, and elected representatives are least bothered, we had to use RTI to find out the plan’s details. We then got the mistakes corrected using the support of the locals. In the case of the Five Gardens’ fountain, which the BMC don't want to consider in the new plan, our ALM collected 600 signatures of locals, insisting that the Municipal Commissioner restart the fountain—which is now being done by the BMC. Similarly, the walkways inside the gardens were planned with cobblestone, which is not a good surface to walk on. Our ALM collected letters from doctors staying in the area and insisted that the Municipal Commissioner change the material. Now, a smooth surface has been provided for walking. After spending five crore rupees on Five Gardens, it was thrown open to the public without a contractor being appointed for its security and maintenance. This resulted in equipment getting damaged within a month’s time and grass lawns going dry within two months. Once again, I had to write to the Municipal Commissioner to insist on having a contractor-cum-security, which is now implemented by the BMC. People should get involved in projects implemented by the BMC in their area. They should use RTI and get the plan's details. If something is not acceptable, they should involve a larger number of locals, get their opinions and signatures on paper and write to the higher authorities to get the changes implemented. Remember that the BMC is spending our tax money and with ALM's involvement,
projects can be improved as per the wishes of the residents.
