Nashik's financial backbone struggles for basic amenities

NASHIK: Satpur is often called the financial backbone of Nashik, with hundreds of industrial units, including Mahindra & Mahindra, CEAT, Bosch, Carbon Graphite and many others, crowding its lanes, yet when one thinks of the area, the picture that often comes to mind is that of slums and haphazard residential colonies. Nonetheless, with much hope, residents of this division will vote this Thursday to elect 14 representatives to the Nashik Muncipal Corporation.
The local leadership is also strong as the area falls under the older part of Nashik city. It is because of this that the division has given one of the most popular mayors to the city in the form of Dashrath Patil. Then there are others like Ashok Gavli, who got elected to the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) for four consecutive terms, Prakash Londhe, who has a strong hold on the Satpur Rajwada area and Dr D L Karad, a strong CPM leader who has been taking up the cause of industrial workers for decades.
Despite all this, Satpur to date remains a township that has been limping towards development for decades. Most interior roads of the wards (no. 16 to 21 and no. 50) in this division are dug up and left undone, heaps of garbage are found at every nook and corner, sewage lines are left open, water supply is an issue, and gardens are not maintained.
Local resident Vikas Kale (20) of the Satpur Rajwada area, said, "The road work began in the area only when the elections were around the corner. While other parts of the city boast of beautiful gardens, there is not even one in our area. Forget gardens, the NMC did not even construct public lavatories for the area. The result of all this is dirt, foul smell and mosquitoes all around. Our corporator Sujata Kale had promised to do development work around the Nasardi river, but it has now been reduced to a nullah."
Resident Yogesh Jagzape said, "I have a shop in the Keval Park area of Satpur. However, whenever I give an order to a new dealer, his delivery man always has to comb half the Satpur area before reaching my shop."
For the residents of ward 16, comprising areas like Anandwalli and Gangapur, the frequency of bus service is a major issue, while for the residents of ward 17, 18, 19, which includes areas like Ashok Nagar, Jadhav Sankul, Pimpalgaon Bahula, Shivaji Nagar, Shramik Nagar, Satpur Colony area, etc., the needs are schools, good roads, streetlights, water supply and a safe and secure environment.
In contrast to other parts of the city, which are bustling with malls, jogging tracks, huge shopping complexes and other facilities, the Satpur division is still yearning for basic facilities. Here, it is impossible to find a good English school for the children of workers. The scrap market on the Ambad Link Road is also a major issue, with the scrap dealers adding to the pollution in the area.
In 2007, the residents of the Satpur division gave no clear majority to any one political party. While the Congress won two seats from this division, which comprised 13 wards then, its ally NCP had bagged three seats. Shiv Sena also bagged three seats. Of the remaining seats, two went to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one went to the Republican Party of India (RPI), one to the CPM and one to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
In 2007, the Congress and the NCP went to the electorate with an alliance and they will do so even this year, with the exception of ward 17 in this division, where Congress's Dinkar Patil takes on NCP's Sadashiv Mali. The BJP and the Shiv Sena are also contesting the elections separately, while the MNS is getting stronger in this division. Many Satpur residents feel that candidates in the open category may go on to win the election in this division., if they are not taking any sitting corporator head on, the election of women may go anyway, depending on the work and popularity of their respective parties.
Nontheless, Patil faces the challenge of Mali. Both outgoing corporators, they are contesting the election against one another as neither of them was ready to give away his seat from their respective area after the ward delimitation exercise. Riding high on the popularity of the MNS last year, Shashikant Jadhav had won the last election. Though he is known for his work, this time around he will be fighting against another sitting corporator, Sena's Rajendra Nagre.
Key Contestants
Congress' Dinkar Patil takes on NCP's Sadashiv Mali in ward 17
Shashikant Jadhav faces Sena's Rajendra Nagre in ward 18
Ashok Gavli contests the election for the fifth consecutive time. He has won four earlier elections.
Gavli is likely to get a tough fight from Salim Shaikh fielded by MNS from ward 19
Prakash Londhe, sitting corporator contests the election from open category due to the new reservations. He fights against Amin Rashid Shaikh, BJP's Sachin Chavan, Congress ' Anis Shaikh, Prakash Nigal of MNS, Arun Jadhav of BSP and others.
Ward 16 No of voters 17239 Candidates 11 Anandwalli Gaothan, Someshwar Slum, Savarkar Nagar, Gangapur Village
Ward 17 No of voters 18528 Candidates 12 Shivaji Nagar, Shramik Nagar
Ward 18 No of voters 19342 Candidates 17 Pimpalgaon Bahula, jadhav Sankul, Shramik Nagar, Ashok Nagar
Ward 19 No of voters 17172 Candidates 10 Sawarkarnagar, Samata Nagar, Maharashtra Housing Society, MIDC Colony
Ward 20 No of voters 18872 Candidates 19 Satpur Village, Swarbaba nagar, industrial area
Ward 21 No of voters 18348 Candidates 25 Sadguru Nagar, Kale Nagar, Bhosala Military School, MIDC, ITI area
Ward 50 No of voters 18661 Candidates 24 Satpur Village, Keval Park, Chunchale, Jadhav Sankul