Mumbai: ‘A’ Ward should be one of the best maintained wards in the city, given that it boasts of Mantralaya, the Vidhan Bhavan, the BMC head office, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Reserve Bank of India, and the Bombay High Court.
But that is not the case. In fact, A Ward, which comprises Churchgate, Nariman Point, Ballard Estate, Marine Drive, Cuffe Parade and Colaba, is one of the worst administered wards of the richest civic body of the country.
A Ward has not had an assistant municipal commissioner for a long time – the last one, Kiran Dighavkar, was transferred almost five years ago. Since then the ward is being managed by executive engineers who have been given additional charge as ward officers. Asked about this, a BMC official said there is a shortage of officials. But certainly an assistant municipal commissioner from any other ward could have been posted here, given A Ward’s importance.
Mantralaya is besieged by unauthorised food vendors and hawkers. Street-side cooking has become a routine sight, especially in the vicinity of Akashwani MLA Hostel, the residence of Maharashtra’s legislators. Jeevan Bima Marg, the thoroughfare leading to Mantralaya, has devolved into a parking lot for politicians and officers.
At night the pavement opposite the BMC head office is full of vendors of food made and sold in the most unhygienic conditions. Every civic law with regard to food is violated here. The area around CST is occupied by hawkers in utter contempt of a high court ruling banning hawking in the vicinity of railway stations.
The bus stops at Mantralaya are broken and rust-coated. Even the headquarters of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the ruling BJP are not immune to the encroachment menace.
Suneel M Bhatnagar, past honorary secretary of Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association, said, “Roadside eateries are a big concern here since we never know whether they have appropriate licence from the Food Department. The BMC needs to ensure that these street-side snacking hubs are clean. Specially designed parking plots will help with the severe parking issue that we face on a daily basis.”
According to the Praja Foundation, the BMC has an estimated budget of Rs 1.12 crore to spend on each resident of the ward – one of the highest in the city. While budget estimates for solid waste management and storm water drains are among the highest in the city, the estimated expenditure on roads and public health services are the lowest.
Even after spending hundreds of crores on basic utilities and infrastructure, A Ward is no better than other wards. The roads near Mantralaya are uneven. The pavements in front of Capitol Cinema and on either side of DN Road, Nariman Point, and other areas are in shoddy condition.
Atul Kumar, founder trustee of Art Deco Mumbai Trust, said: “People come here to enjoy the heritage of Mumbai through historic buildings, the Gateway of India, Oval Maidan and Marine Drive. There are issues as basic as pavements that need to be addressed,” he added.
Failure to clear encroachment
The issue of encroachment has often prompted the Bombay High Court to make strong observations regarding the BMC’s failure to clear the city’s streets. A Ward is no different when it comes to encroachment.
While Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, a crucial path from Nariman Point to Vidhan Bhavan, has turned into a permanent ‘khau gully’ for the corporate employees working nearby, the open space outside Churchgate Station facing the Western Railway Headquarters is slowly turning into another eating hub. Closure of internal roads due to construction of a metro station near the Backbay Depot has given a free hand to homeless families to occupy the footpaths.
Shortage of public toilets
A Ward has a population of around 1.93 lakh, of which 63,000 live in slums. This strata of the society is heavily dependent on community toilets. According to Praja Foundation, the ward has only 45 toilet blocks. While 10% of public toilets do not have water connection, 29% of community toilets do not have water and electricity.
These public and community toilets cover only 70% of the slum population. Moreover, A Ward has a high floating population which increases dependency on these public toilets.
Public health facilities suffer
A Ward also faces a crisis of public heath. Against the requirement of 13 dispensaries, there are only 11 available. These dispensaries have 51% posts of medical, paramedical and labour staff vacant. The neglect of public health facilities has resulted in increased cases of dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, hypertension and diabetes in the ward, according to Praja Foundation’s Health White Paper 2024.
Pollution a major concern
Major sea outlets and beaches in South Mumbai are polluted from untreated sewerage or surface pollution including solid waste. The minimum Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) recorded in all the major beach outlets, including Nariman Point and Gateway of India, is much higher than the prescribed norms according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The Fecal Coliform in the sea water is also severely high.
“Air pollution and noise pollution are major concerns here. These lead to major health pollution and therefore should be dealt with. The BMC should work towards allowing the rainwater to recharge ground water levels. Places like Marine Drive have been heavily concretised and should have more trees,” said Bhatnagar.
Sujata Sanap, a former corporator from the ward, said, “This ward is undoubtedly the best in Mumbai but there are issues that still need to be addressed. Since the corporation does not have corporators due to failure of conducting elections from almost three years, we are not able to focus on small issues. I had ensured better roads and water connection in my ward but now we are not able to work efficiently on these issues.”
The Free Press Journal contacted Jaideep More, the incharge ward officer, but he was not available for a comment.
