Rail trouble not sole worry, Diva is potential powder keg

THANE: From a small village having an Agri population, Diva’s transformation into a dense jungle of multi-storied buildings, illegally-built chawls, unpaved roads and overflowing drains has turned it into a potential powder keg waiting to explode.
On Friday, locals who have been living in near-squalor and with lack of social infrastructure, revolted against authorities for years of neglect.
“Prima facie, the trigger for the rioting was delayed train services. In reality, it is a reflection of the bottled-up anger of locals who are victims of the local political-administration-builder nexus. Almost every second building or house in Diva is illegally constructed on once-marshy plots or mangrove land. Roads are near-absent, the stench from drains is unmistakable, and the only public transport for the three lakh-plus locals here is the railways,” said an official with the Thane civic body. One of the fastest-growing boroughs under the TMC’s jurisdiction, Diva, with its mushrooming population, has been suffering neglect.
“After the emotional outburst today, the political leadership has blamed CR. But the real problem is unplanned growth sanctioned on the sly by corrupt politicians and Thane civic officials, the bureaucrat, who requested anonymity, told TOI.
CR ticket sales from Diva reveal an 87% increase in five years (2009-10 to 2013-14). Almost all these people are staying in illegal homes, the official said. “The question is how ticket sales are growing when there are a handful of plans sanctioned for residential complexes”, he added.