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Left Dumpstruck Matunga-Sion Residents Fear Health Woes Due To Poor Garbage Collection And Slums On Pipelines Comprising portions of the island city that border the eastern suburbs, the F-North Ward is plagued by unhygienic conditions, unauthorised slums and illegal hawkers from end to end. Innumerable complaints made to municipal ward officers and corporators have not helped this centrally located area one bit, say residents. The ward contains portions of the perennially busy, yet largely residential areas of Dadar, Sion, Antop Hill and Matunga. It is home to Gujaratis, South Indians and Maharashtrians as also a large proportion of Parsis who mostly reside in Parsi Colony near Five Gardens. Stretching from Chunabhatti Lake, which is in a pathetic condition, to Khodadad Circle, the ward has been slowly dying under the weight of slums, hawkers, garbage and traffic congestion. Amazingly, it was once considered one of the more beautiful areas of the city, with several parks and old bungalows. But today it has practically nothing to boast of. There isn't one good road or pavement, say residents. Both the Eastern and Western Express highways pass through this ward. Ironically they are among the worst roads even though they attract the maxiumum traffic as they connect the suburbs to the business hub of South Mumbai. The Dadar flyover may have provided some respite from traffic congestion, but the newly constructed road that leads to the flyover has caved in and several complaints have resulted in nothing. Mehernosh Fitter, a resident of Parsi Colony, said vehicles have a bumpy ride along this road. "The condition of this road (Tilak Bridge Road), constructed last August, only shows the shoddy work done by the BMC,'' he said. Fitter, who is active in local affairs, has also complained that subways have become home to the poor. Garbage removal is also pathetic in the area, resulting in unhygienic conditions. "There are rats running around, causing cases of lepto regularly,'' said another resident of Hindu Colony. There was a time when Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray used to reside on Nathalal Parekh Marg-popularly known as Gauri Gully-where the city's renowned engineering college, VJTI, is located. Residents of the area recall that during those years in the late 1990s, a municipal used to pick up garbage every few hours. "But now we have to wait two or three days for the garbage to be picked up,'' said one resident of the lane. Hundreds of morning joggers at Five Gardens have to also bear the stench. The ward also lacks pay-and-park spaces. Space below the Dadar flyover was kept for the purpose, but is being used by private taxis, so residents and shopkeepers have no place to park their vehicles. Similarly, pay-and-park spaces allotted at Gandhi Market and Shanmukhananda Hall are being occupied by unauthorised hawkers. On the ward's western side a string of organisations play host to marriages and parties during the weekends-Manav Seva Sangh Hall, North Indian Association, Bharatiya Music Academy, Little Angles School and Athletic Ground. But again, there are no parking facilities and cars parked on roads lead to traffic jams, said another resident Swati Shah. During the monsoon, this particular area is also known to hit the headlines due to flooding, a problem about which the BMC has done little over the years. Dr Gauranga Vora, a pathologist residing in Sion (East), said, "We are sitting on a time bomb,'' when referring to the water pipeline. Slum dwellers live on the pipeline and their sewage flows alongside. "Cracks in the water line will cause their sewage to enter our water suply,'' said Vora. Because of the new high-rises that have come up in Sion (East), a water cut of 10-15% is now a common occurrence there. Older residents, used to 24/7 water supply, have submitted innumerable complaints to the BMC, but they appear to have fallen on deaf ears. WHAT PEOPLE WANT Garbage to be regularly removed from all areas, and places like Chunnabhatti Lake cleaned up. The open garbage create a health problem for residents as rats proliferate Unauthorised slums should be removed, especially those on water pipelines and in subways. The slums on water pipelines are a health hazard as the sewage of slumdwellers flows close to the pipes Better roads and pavements. Even newly constructed ones are in bad shape Unauthorised hawkers need to be organised and given a place where they can function from Pay-and-park spaces need to be cleared of encroachments and used for the purpose they were allotted for. More parking space is also needed in areas of Sion (West) Sion Fort needs to be cleaned Five Gardens, one of the green lungs of the area, needs proper maintenance More water, so the needs of older residents and new high-rises are met. Presently areas are suffering due to water cuts VOIC E OV E R DIRTY SHAME: Chunabhatti Lake in F-North Ward used to be once brimming with clear water, but it has now been reduced to a dumping ground. Residents allege it is being allowed to die a slow death so that the plot can be used for construction Mehernosh Fitter RESIDENT ACTIVIST FIVE GARDENS RESIDENT Slums have come up even in the 'subways of Dadar. Garbage is not picked up regularly, posing health hazards. Dr Gaurang Vora PATHOLOGIST SECRETARY, FLANK ROAD CITIZENS' FORUM Hawkers have set up shop on the sole pay-and-park space close to Shanmukhananda auditorium. 'There are slums all over the area, even on the drinking water pipes. Waste from these slums fl the drinking water pipes. Swati Shah KING'S CIRCLE RESIDENT With not enough payand-park spaces, parked vehicles spill out all over the main roads and enter residential buildings. We have five marriage halls in our neighbourhood, but not one parking lot. Matunga, Sion, Dadar Antop Hill URL http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzAxLzIzI0FyMDA0MDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom |
