Andheri-E crumbles as complaints gounheard since 2022 leadership vacuum

MUMBAI: K East ward, made of the eastern parts of the Vile Parle, Andheri and Jogeshwari belt, stands today as one of Mumbai's most blighted administrative zones, a place where civic dysfunction has spiralled so wildly out of control that it feels like a genie long uncorked and now impossible to contain. From Andheri (E)'s suffocating traffic and mountains of garbage to the chaos of hawker encroachments and collapsing basic services, the ward's problems have outgrown its leadership, leaving residents trapped in a daily battle for livability. Jogeshwari (E) and Vile Parle (E) fare marginally better.

Pleas by citizens go unheeded, while complaints by former corporators get short shrift from civic officials since their term ended in 2022. The flow of BMC corporator funds has stopped, so the resources and impetus to act are missing. The ward slid towards the saffron scale with six BJP corporators in 2017, up from one in 2012. Shiv Sena won nine seats in 2012 but dropped to four in 2017. Congress and independents remain on the fringe. Activist Godfrey Pimenta of Watchdog Foundation says, "K East is in a deplorable state. Hawkers have overrun footpaths along Andheri-Kurla Road. On top of that, there is double-parking near the Saturday Bazaar. Tankers, tempos and trucks clog the road. Footpaths are continuously dug, stripping away safe walking space. Corporators have shown no accountability since their term ended. A grievance redressal mechanism is non-existent. BMC and traffic police rarely take action."

Activist Sriganesh Parthasarathy says, "Urban planning is pathetic. There are foot over-bridges that nobody uses, and flyovers are made in such a way that they create traffic jams. Footpaths are occupied by vendors, especially in MIDC, Ramakrishna Mandir Road and near Seepz. Main water pipelines are buried in tons of garbage and sewage that would take at least a decade to clear. This is behind Seepz and the airport's international terminal (T2). None of the corporators in the last two decades have cleared this muck. Garbage trucks are parked near JB Nagar metro station. Voters need candidates who will personally supervise clean-up work."


Local MLA Murji Patel has been a corporator since 1981, and his wife Kesarben was elected twice, in 2012 and 2017. "Metro 3 has greatly benefited the area. A floating population of around six lakh people travels to Andheri for work every day, including Seepz and offices and factories along Andheri-Kurla Road and Marol. A major problem remains Andheri Subway, where monsoon flooding disrupts connectivity with Andheri (W) every year. We are urging the govt to find a permanent solution. Traffic and illegal hawkers are vexed issues too. But we are trying to clear Development Plan roads of encroachment to disperse traffic. Garbage collection is an ongoing effort," he said. "I had to step in to help improve water supply to a hilltop slum right beside my office."

Traffic is a major problem, said former BJP corporator Abhijeet Samant. "We cannot widen roads beyond a limit. But we can limit unauthorised parking and hawkers. I have also requested BMC to provide water with adequate pressure by maintaining the reservoir level so that it can supply to far-flung areas too."

The main issue is water shortage, said former Sena corporator Priyanka Sawant (now with UBT). "Corporation funds have stopped for four years since our term ended. Garbage collection suffers and nullahs are clogged. Drainage lines of many buildings are not connected, so their waste simply drains into sewers. Meanwhile, slum dwellers have no space to build toilets inside their huts, so they have to rely on public toilets, which are grossly inadequate."

Former corporators Kamlesh and wife Sushma Rai have held office for a collective five terms. "My own society, Vasant Oasis, pays Rs 13 lakh per year as water tanker charges because BMC is yet to connect a simple gap in supply. Since we are no longer corporators they pay no heed. In the matter of hawkers, BMC is a failure," rues Kamlesh. Sushma is taking up cudgels for slum dwellers who have encroached on Sahar airport land and are staring at displacement.

In Jogeshwari, ex-BJP corporator Pankaj Yadav advocates underground parking beneath Ismail Yusuf College ground, civic gardens and open spaces. "It is illegal to park heavy commercial vehicles in residential areas. Such solutions are necessary," he said. Some outgoing corporators allege that "a local BJP MLA" has instructed BMC not to take cognizance of the opposition's complaints. "Merely cutting the ribbon to inaugurate work done by others deserves no credit. We have no expectation from Mahayuti given the Vote Chori scam and Ladki Bahin scheme, which is nothing but cash for votes. They have hijacked the system. One day it will all sink. Yeh sabko lekar doobenge," alleged a corporator. Denying them, Murji Patel, who is now with the Shinde Sena, said, "Corporators are not getting individual funds, but BMC gives a common fund. People can apply and receive help. Of course, the sooner the civic election is held, the formal restitution of administration can begin."