Posh Bandra West wants footpaths and open spaces

Home to upscale neighbourhoods centuriesold villages and dingy slums the Bandra West Assembly constituency faces water sanitation and redevelopmentrelated issues Congested narrow roads and parking are also major concerns while plush societiesrsquo residents are struggling to keep hawkers at bay and pollutionWill BJP score hat trick in Bandra WestMumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar is contesting the seat for the fourth time After losing in 2009 by a low margin the senior leader managed to retain the constituency for the past 10 years despite Muslimsmdashwhich comprise a large portion of the electoratemdashbeing considered Congress voters In 2014 the late Baba Siddique the Congress candidate received 47868 votes against the BJPrsquos 74779 In 2019 when Asif Zakaria was fielded on a Congress ticket the number of votes remained almost the sameZakaria told midday ldquoIn 2014 the combined vote share of Shiv Sena NCP and MNS candidates was around 20000 and in 2019 despite the undivided Sena and BJP being together the vote difference between Congress and BJP didnrsquot change This time there isnrsquot an MNS candidate and the Sena UBT and NCPSP are with us Also during the Lok Sabha election the vote difference between the two parties was hardly 3500 votes which can be surpassed this time as people have a strong option in the INDIA blocrdquoShelar however feels the constituency is with him ldquoIn the past when we fought against three parties Congress Shiv Sena and MNS or in an alliance the result was the samemdashwe won So there isnrsquot any worry this time as people will vote for development and Ashish Shelarrdquo he saidBandra West MLA and BJP candidate Ashish Shelar PicSatej ShindeThough the roads here are in better condition than most parts of the city narrow lanes and footpath markets leave no space for pedestrians to walk or cars to ply The hawker menace lack of open spaces pollution erratic water supply and redevelopment in gaothans and slum pockets are other major issuesldquoWe are looking for a hawking policy at the state level to ensure the acute issue we face on Bandrarsquos roads can be resolved permanently so that footpaths will be available for walking not hawkingrdquo said Lillian Pais a residentSavio Miranda a resident of Carter road gaothan said ldquoBandra Westrsquos job market needs revitalisation Initiatives supporting local entrepreneurship skill development and industry diversification can unlock opportunities for residents fostering economic growth Apart from the job market reliable water supply is a fundamental right Bandra West deserves efficient management and infrastructure upgrades to prevent scarcity and wastage safeguarding this essential resourcerdquoHe added that thoughtful redevelopment is vital for Bandra Westrsquos growth ensuring residentsrsquo concerns and environmental sustainability are prioritised Transparency and community engagement are crucial he saidCongress candidate Asif Zakaria from Bandra West Assembly constituency PicKirti Surve ParadeRedevelopment is a major issue in gaothans and slum pocketsThere are many gaothans They are not slums so slum rehabilitation should not be implemented here Despite repeated assurances that there will be special schemes for them in Development Plans nothing has been implemented on the ground Now the state has announced some schemes and may hand over these gaothanmdashwhere original inhabitants of Mumbai staymdashto Ambani and Adani to redevelopOn the other hand SRA Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects have been stuck for years and there is massive corruption Unless it is resolved the scheme is of no useErratic water supply is another major concernMany areas including Khar Danda regularly face inadequate water supply The BMC was planning to supply water 24 hours a day but failed to bring about a basic water supply with adequate pressure In addition to this gaothans and slums are still waiting for basic infrastructure There should be a holistic plan with a vision to solve these issuesPollution is another concern across the city What is your plan of action on thisBandra residents have been constantly suffering from dust from ongoing infrastructure projects Air and sound pollution must be dealt with at the source There are rules in place but implementation is pathetic We have an air pollution mitigation policy but who is following it There is no proper method to inspect and keep vigilance There should be basic rules concerning barricading the structure and using sprinklers but ruling parties are just concentrating on lsquoconstructionrsquo and forget pollution mitigation plansWhat is your roadmap for the next five years if you winI will do it by collaborating with all ALMs Connectivity with residents is important A peoples representative should act for the betterment of society by considering citizensrsquo views and should not make decisions in isolation People feel that the present MLA has lost connection with the people Announcing bigticket projects without consulting the public is a major issue Parking projects at Patwardhan Park Bandra Fort garden renovation and leasing public land to private parties are a few recent examplesDo you think the Ladki Bahin scheme will have an impact on this electionWe are not against the scheme But what is the use if the government is giving with one hand and taking back with both People know better Inflation is on the rise Stamp paper oil and fuel costs have increased almost five to tenfoldWhat about the issue of job creationWe need to understand that not only slums but even residents of highrises need jobs There should be a policy to create more jobs through industries But the current government is interested in shifting industries to Gujarat The government does not work to invite industries in Maharashtra or Mumbai and thatrsquos why we are facing a crunch in job creationA third of the water in the city is wasted in leakages How do you hope to tackle this issueIt is a crime to waste so much water Despite being in power in the corporation for 25 years they Thackerays cannot even plug leakages Uddhavji promised to supply water to H West ward 24x7 But even during festival time in certain areas here there is no water pressure Now I have studied the plan for the tertiary level wastewater treatment plan which will come up within a year or two near the Bandra Worli Sea Link and potable water will be supplied to commercial establishments so that there is enough water for residents from BMCWhat about the promise of potholefree roads within two yearsCM Eknath Shinde announced potholefree roads in 2022 and within one and a half years work across the city is already under process You have to give him time The CM has changed the budget format and conditions of the tenders so that more and more contractors come forwardLastmile connectivity is still a distant dream in Mumbai How is your government going to solve itDevendra Fadnavis had started Metro projects during his earlier tenure During the Congress period only half of the Metro line was completed When Thackeray was in the government instead of making any alternative for the railway he stopped the Metro work But now out of nine lines three are completed and two are on the verge of completion The Thackeray government is responsible for the mismanagement of the BEST For lastmile connectivity railway Metro and bus servicesmdashand also sometimes autos and taxismdashshould be integrated The BJP is working on an integrated solutionDue to largescale infrastructure projects air pollution has increased What will you do about thisOnce again the Thackerays are responsible as in 2020 2021 they had given blanket permission to buildings charging only half the premium on the pretext of increasing the BMCs income Builders who took permission during that period to save money have now started construction after getting other permissions in one go Because of the subsidy the construction rate increased twofold It also created air pollution issues Though we will not stop construction there will be strict vigilance to curb the pollutionBandra witnessed SRA projects as a solution for the redevelopment of slums With allegations of corruption being levelled against the scheme do you think it is a solutionIn urban areas SRA projects can bring the desired change Yes there is corruption But it needs to be dealt with separately rather than scrapping the entire schemeAre there any plans for job creationThe job creation scenario has changed There are many opportunities in new professions like event management architecture and designing and new platforms to offer various services in the food and travel industries But you need to create an ecosystem that can support these industries and the government has to work on itResidents allege you have lost touch when it comes to issues like the Patwardhan Park matter and renovation of Bandra fort It took almost one and a half years to resolve the park issueBut who solved the issue I had written to the BMC to scrap the parking project after which the corporation scrapped it The fort renovation issue will be taken care of I have done many infrastructure projects in BandraMap of Bandra West constituency PicEC MaharashtraRegistered voters in BandraMale 149869Female 138867Third gender 10Total 288746Vote share in previous elections2019Ashish Shelar BJP 74816Asif Zakaria Cong 483092014Ashish Shelar 74779Baba Siddique Cong 478682009Baba Siddique 59659Ashish Shelar 57968