Mobile toilets of little help as open defecation continues

Overview

Spanning over 7.32 sq km area, E ward touches the Arabian Sea on its east while Western Railways on the west. Having two major suburban railway stations — Byculla and Mumbai Central — the area witnesses a huge footfall thus leading to traffic congestion especially during peak hours.

Majority of the roads including Sane Guruji Marg, Nath Pai Marg and NM Joshi Marg witness traffic chaos and illegal parking. Even roads leading to hospitals and the fire station are also jammed with traffic. Potholes and manholes in the area also add to motorists' woes.

The ward has both hill tops and low-lying areas and during heavy rainfall, water logging is a common issue faced by the locals. Some of the worst areas where water logging is common are Anandrao Vakil Chawl, Undriya Street. In addition, Mahatma Phule Nagar, Khalipha Chawl, Sankhli Street, Bakri Adda among others also face water logging issues. Poor infrastructure and old dilapidated buildings as well as poor handling of garbage lifting are the other issues.

Residents complain of poor collection of garbage especially in Byculla (west). However, the problem prevails across the ward. According to BMC, around 525 metric ton garbage is lifted per day. In addition, there is an absence of English medium schools and poor infrastructure.

Political Scenario

In the Muslim dominated ward, the political scenario has changed after the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Waris Pathan won the Byculla seat in the last assembly election. Majority of the residents echo in the same voice that AIMIM has emerged because other political parties failed to field the right candidate and live up to their expectations.

Congress holds three out of eight electoral wards and somehow it may manage to garner support of the minority. Around 60 per cent voters of the ward are minority, either from Muslim, Christians or backward classes. However, of the total voters, 43 per cent are Muslims.

AIMIM and Samajwadi Party will field their candidate in the upcoming BMC election, making it difficult for the Congress. In the last couple of years, AIMIM MLA Pathan has gained his hold in the ward and Samajwadi Party's sitting corporator Rais Shaikh is likely to fight election from Madanpura seat in E ward.

issues

Water logging during monsoon in low lying areas like Anandrao Vakil Chawl and Undriya Street is common.

Open defecation in slum areas of the ward is prevalent. In spite of mobile toilets, there are instances of people defecating in the open. The civic body has tried to tackle the issue in the past but to no avail.

Encroachment by roadside hawkers and illegal parking leads to traffic chaos. Especially during festivals, like Ramzan or Ganeshotsav, the traffic situation goes awry.

The drop out rate in civic schools is another issue which needs immediate attention. Lack of infrastructure and poor quality teaching force residents to send their kids to private English medium schools.

Residents speak

The major problem of the ward is congestion and unhygienic conditions. Uneven roads and encroachment on footpath add to the woes of the residents. During festivals, the condition deteriorates and there
are places where even walking is difficult.
—Wasim Ansari, Resident,
Morland Road, Mumbai Central

Traffic congestion on most of the roads needs to be solved on a priority basis. Each day, new encroachment is seen in the ward which is also one of the reasons behind traffic congestion. There are roads where BEST buses move at a snail's pace and encroachment is to be blamed for that. In addition, there must be extra curricular activities conducted in civic schools so that students from less privileged families too get quality education.
—Sohail Umar, Resident, Madanpura

The official word

K R Desai, Assistant Commissioner of E ward said, "We have worked a lot on low lying area to prevent water logging especially areas along the railway track. This year, we do not have much reports of water logging. But there are areas where water logging cannot be prevented. So we have to use a pump to clear the water." Desai sees open defection as major problems which is still in practice in slum areas. "We have installed mobile toilets and to some extent we have stopped it but we need to continue to work. There are some areas where BMC is not in charge so there is need to get support of other agencies and we are working on it" said Desai. In addition, to tackle the footfall at Byculla station, there is a makeover plan underway for the premises of the station.