NGOs seek answers, put corporators on notice

Protect open spaces, do not meddle with court orders, get candidates of high calibre, ensure they spend their funds for all, save heritage precincts and remove all illegal hoardings. The message was loud and clear — “Corporators listen to us as we elect you and pay for you too.”

These were the feelings expressed by 45-odd NGOs in the city, which expressed their agenda for the upcoming civic polls in a meeting organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Since politics is a game of numbers, we try to fulfill the demands of the voters. But today, we understood the needs of the citizens,” said Vinod Tawde, BJP state general secretary after the meeting. Tawade and Shaina NC, party secretary for Mumbai promised all help. “We want to part of the solution for the city, not its problems,” added Shaina.

The exchange got off to a stormy start when NGO CitiSpace raised the issue of encroachment of recreational grounds pointing out that the BJP headquarter itself is constructed on such a ground. “There should be no interference in implementation of court orders,” said Neera Punj, convener, CitiSpace. Her colleague Nayana Kathpalia asked the BJP to ensure that the Supreme Court order on hawking and non-hawking zones is implemented in spirit.

“The caretaker policy for open spaces must be repealed or else 162 acres of land would go in hand of clubs and gymkhanas. It is a disgrace that Mumbai as an appalling 0.01 acres of land per 1,000 people,” she

The BMC’s policies for redeveloping open spaces like Five Gardens also came under attack as the local Dadar-Matunga-Wadala residents association strongly opposed the plan.

“Skywalks, food court, fountains, skating rinks will only destroy the last green space left in the island city,” insisted local resident Hirji Nagarwalla.

While Dr Shabnam Rangwala of Spastics Society of India asked for a disability coordinator to advice on the implementation of the projects. “We need more BEST buses with facilities for physically challenged in North Mumbai,” she added.

Activists like Meher Rafat of Clean Mumbai called for better traffic management rather than large infrastructure projects despite wrath of corporate houses, while transport expert Sudhir Badami insisted that road widening was right, but not at the cost of pavement dwellers. Khar Resident’s Association’s Anandini Thakoor called for restoring the civic schools and more focus for suburbs, which is grappling under pollution and garbage issues.

AGNI (Action for Good Governance and Networking in India) convenor Gerson da Cunha called for clean up of the buildings proposal department of the BMC, which he alleged is a mafia.

“Slum regularisation is not their rehabilitation. The BMC must be saved from Mantralaya domination,” he explained. Tawde promptly agreed saying that the civic body is merely implementing the decisions of the state urban development ministry.