Bridge 5 years in the works, pond vanishes

"Earlier, we took walks only inside our building compound as there are hardly any open spaces in the vicinity. Then we started using the skywalk, which is convenient as we won't miss the daily exercise during the monsoon," said Jayesh Gupta, a resident of Bandra Kurla Complex.
Every morning, residents from Kalanagar, Khiranagar, Behramnagar and other areas in the ward put the skywalk to alternative use, far different than initially planned.A severe dearth of open spaces and the bad condition of pavements in H-East ward has forced residents to take their morning walks on the 1.3km stretch in the sky. "It is easier to jog here on the skywalk because I don't have to worry about traffic or potholes or vehicles zipping past me," said Pranali Shinde, a Kalanagar resident.
The H-East ward that spans Bandra(east), Khar(east), Vakola and Kalina in Santa Cruz(east), is plagued by encroached footpaths, an incomplete Mithi River bridge project, closing of the Kalina pond which causes flooding in low-lying areas, and illegal constructions. Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant commissioner, said there are barely 10 open spaces-recreational grounds (RG), playgrounds, parks and gardens-in the entire ward. However, he couldn't provide a figure of the total area covered by these open spaces. "I have no idea of the area of the open spaces in H (East) as I am new to the ward," said Ambi, the ward officer.
Bharat Vishwakarma, a resident of Sagar Avenue and chairman, Vakola ALM, said a small RG plot at Vakola bridge junction, in a lane called Rustomba Pathak Road, is encroached upon by hawkers and many shops have moved in. Further down in Lal Maidan, New Ekta Ground and Gaondevi, three RGs are partially encroached upon by 620 shanties. The only green spot preserved and maintained is a 0.1 acre garden by Save Garden and the Neighbourhood of Sunder Nagar Residents' Association, chaired by Clarence Pinto.
A landmark, the Kalina Talao, has been wiped off the city's ecological map. This 7.5 acre, four-century-old pond, once teeming with birds and marine life, now stands covered with mud and debris at the Kolovery Village in Kalina. "The pond, which was a natural open and underground reservoir till 2001, allowed rainwater from the Air India Colony to go via Resham Singh nullah and flow into the Mithi River. Today all low-lying areas in this ward are flooded because of the disappeareance of this pond," said Loy Dias, resident, Gulistan Manzil and chairman, Voice of Kalina. Residents, under the banner of the 'Kolovery Welfare Trust,' are fighting a decade-long battle with the BMC and local politicians on revival of their pond.
Cynthia Fernandes, a Kalina resident, said the BMC had sanctioned Rs 5 crore to build a boundary compound wall around the pond five years ago. "But the BMC stalled the work as there was no sand available. Now Rs 3.5 crore has been sanctioned to build a wall again. At present, the area of the pond is covered by 25-feet high debris resembling a hill and there are 100 illegal shanties around it," said Fernandes.
Nayana Kathpalia, co-convenor, NAGAR (formerly Citispace) said open spaces in the area could have disappeared due to changes in reservation in the Development Plan (DP) over the years. She said the BMC allowed the Kalina pond to be filled up, which was an environmental disaster. "It was obviously filled up by builders and parties with vested interests. The BMC should start the process to reverse this and give the pond back to the locals," said Kathpalia. "Open spaces should be available to citizens at a walking distance from their homes," she said.
Another project still in the works is the Mithi River bridge. This vital bridge linking west and east is under construction for the last five years. The old bridge, the shortest route between Santa Cruz(East) and Kurla, was used by all vehicles, till it was closed. "Kurla station is now 45 minutes away due to the incomplete bridge, as citizens have to take a 2km detour. Thousands of people come from Mulund and Vashi to the Air India Engineering Complex," said K Sreedharan, a Kalina resident.
Pedestrians have also lost footpaths on Kalina-Kurla Road, near Kalina Market , Church Road, University Road and Kurla-Santacruz Road due to various encroachments. "Footpaths are present but they are taken over by bikes and garages on Kalina-Kurla Road. The BMC has created 15 paver-blocked footpaths which have in turn been taken over by hawkers," said Charles D'sa, chairman, Vidyanagari Parisar ALM.
Robin Viegas, a resident of Framps Villa on CST Road, said three buildings on that road have gone in for redevelopment but none have left setback land for footpaths and the height of the building compounds are raised, which will cause flooding. "We want the BMC to give the footpaths back to residents. Existing footpaths on CST Road have vanished and are taken over by vendors, stalls, shopkeepers , scrap dealers and garages," said Viegas.
The H(east) ward has also earned the dubious distinction of having the most number of unresolved cases of unauthorised constructions. According to an RTI query, a total of 1,489 illegal constructions were detected from 2008-13, 219 illegal constructions came up in 2012 and 91 in 2013. "From Uday Niwas to Milan Subway, 60 new chawls have sprung up," said Errol Sequeira, resident, Prabhat Colony number 1.
But several old timers still prefer residing in this ward. "I lived in Kalina for over 40 years and this ward is improving due to the involvement of citizens. Thanks to the BKC and the diamond market, real estate prices have gone up. Kalina is equidistant to Kurla and Santa Cruz stations, Kurla and Bandra terminus and the airport. What more could one ask for," said Dias.