Maharashtra elections 2024: Who will unburden Mulund's creaking infrastructure?

Rakesh Shetty, Congress candidate; (right) Mihir Kotecha, BJP candidate and incumbent MLA.. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

A burgeoning population, development and rehabilitation projects that strain existing infrastructure, pollution, intermittent power and water cuts and lack of proper footpaths, roads, open spaces and entertainment hubs are some of the many issues plaguing the Mulund Assembly constituency.

The constituency also has been in focus in the recent days due to residents angry against the influx and opposing Dharavi residents being rehabilitated in the east. While one proposed project involves handing over 64 acres of land to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project with 18 acres on the land of former octroi naka, another involves rehabilitation of slum dwellers on 46 acres of the old dumping ground and yet another one involves the construction of 7,439 tenements near Kelkar college for all project-affected people (PAP) across Mumbai.

"Our demand is clear. Do not burden Mulund's existing infrastructure. These projects will add more people and families to the suburb and will add pressure on the civic and other existing amenities in Mulund East and need to be stopped from coming up. So many PAPs cannot be shifted to one suburb. It is unjust and residents of Mulund have been protesting against this," advocate Sagar Devre, the convenor of the resident movement, said.

"Continuous construction activities have led to pollution concerns. There is constant noise and dust which is affecting residents' health. The work goes on in the night and is endless. The trucks and concrete mixer trucks that move around further add to traffic problems on the narrow roads of Mulund. The traffic problems have heightened so much that during morning and evening hours, one can find a long line of vehicles waiting to enter and leave Mulund. This not only leads to loss of manhours but also time and fuel," Akanksha Sethi, another resident, said.

Chetan Bordawekar, honorary secretary of Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai/Suburbs, said, "Can you imagine, there is no petrol pump in the east? We have no choice but to go to the west to refuel our vehicles. Other issues that plague Mulund include a lack of coordination between the police, traffic division, BMC [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] and other agencies, which has resulted in delays in the execution of projects in which two or more government agencies are involved. This is in addition to the undisciplined hawkers and parked vehicles on RRT Road in the west, resulting in very little space for pedestrians. Mulund East residents are afraid due to the rehabilitation project near Kelkar college."

1,500
Acres area of salt pan land in eastern suburbs opened up for rehabilitation of PAPs

Mihir Kotecha BJP

What are the local issues and what are your achievements so far?
There is a PAP project coming up. We have done rigorous follow-ups. BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani has issued a directive stating that 4,400 units of PAP shall be used for the implementation of development projects within Mulund. In simple terms, 4,400 units have been reserved for PAPs. I have given a letter to the BMC chief and forest minister stating that 1,950 units at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mulund should be reserved for them. Then we have hardly 300-400 units left, which should be reserved for BMC staff quarters.

But what about the issue of Dharavi PAPs being shifted here? Now, there is a directive and there is absolute clarity. What more clarification would be required?
Mulund has major connectivity issues. The existing roads are jampacked and new roads and infra are required. The Metro passes through the west; there's nothing much in the east.

When we talk of Mulund East, I was following up on new connectivity from Eastern Express Highway towards Thane from the service road of the highway to Tata Colony. This connection has been approved and a work order has been issued. The government of India will soon approve the transfer of required land for this. This road will be functional by January 31. It will be a hassle-free trip soon there. In Mulund West, I have cleared two new DP roads, easing connectivity issues. In addition to this, 39 internal roads in Mulund will be concreted. The Metro and GMLR [Goregaon Mulund Link Road] are on schedule and three years from now, many of the connectivity issues in Mulund will be resolved.

What about roads and pedestrian footpaths? Mulund has been getting crowded.
The answer to this is the Metro. When the MVA [Maha Vikas Aghadi] government was in power, they stopped all the Metro works, which delayed the cycle. It would have taken care of all the problems of pedestrians and last-mile connectivity. It would have also taken care of overcrowding at the station. It did not happen. But finally, now, all the work is on schedule, and we shall see a change soon.

What about the quality of life in Mulund?
For entertainment and families, there is not much in Mulund except malls and Kalidas theatre. I have proposed a bird park (an aviary) at the cost of R80 crore on 4.5 acres of land. The proposal is being discussed at the Central Zoo Authority and consultants and the BMC are working on it. It is the first time since the setting up of the Byculla zoo by the British that such an initiative has been taken after independence.

What about the rising AQI index of Mulund? Rising pollution is a serious problem here.
Yes. When the MVA government was in power, the premium was reduced to 50 per cent, which led to a construction boom and a large number of developers rushed to Mulund. I had raised the issue in the House during the MVA regime. The Centre had allocated a sum of R3,000 crore for the Clean Air Programme. But the amount remained unused.

A water crisis is staring at Mumbai and it needs urgent addressing. What are your plans?
The last 30 years, Shiv Sena (UBT) has been ruling the BMC and they never planned for the rising population or the influx. There is a dire need to address the water issue, which will be taken up on priority.

Rakesh Shetty Congress

You are the only party contestant from northeast Mumbai. What are the local issues and what are your priorities?
The main issue in Mulund is the Dharavi rehabilitation project. The government is giving out R1,500 under the Ladki Bahin scheme and giving out 1,500 acres of prime land to their favourite industrialist. This is the real face of the ruling government. Plots at multiple locations and all the salt pan land will be soon gone. We are going to take up this battle head-on and will oppose it tooth and nail. It is coming up on the old octroi and dumping ground plots and will add immense pressure on the existing amenities of Mulund. The existing civic infrastructure of Mulund is already under pressure and all this will put additional strain here and lead to collapse. There will be chaos. Currently, our infrastructure supports 3,00,000 people, but soon it will have to stretch to accommodate 6,00,000. This is simply unacceptable! Moreover, building on salt pan land will lead to complete flooding. It will be an environmental disaster and doom. It is the common citizens who will suffer due to all this.

What are your ideas about the public amenities?
The east and west are already under pressure because of ill-planned development. The infrastructure needs to catch up with the growing population and I will strive to make the best improvements possible, once I come to power. People are fed up with routine traffic jams and failing infrastructure. The public infrastructure is under much strain already. The east-west public foot overbridge at the railway station has been demolished since a few months ago and there is no sign of it being rebuilt. The public toilet block outside the station has also been removed and everyone is forced to use the one inside the station. These are basic essential amenities that the public requires and there is no one to question about their absence.

The Mulund Assembly constituency

What are your ideas about public infrastructure and transport services? The BEST is in decline and the Metro passes only through the west.
Yes. There is a need to improve public transport and related infrastructure. Just see the plight of office-goers every day. Outside the station in the west, there is no space to walk or take your vehicle. It is chaotic during peak hours. Metro works have been going on for too long and there has been a demand for a station near R Mall and if elected, I will take up the issue in the House for a station there. V D Savarkar Hospital work has been going on for decades but has not yet been completed. I will ensure that the work gets completed on time and citizens get more upgraded facilities. There is also a need for more hospitals and medical centres in Mulund. Overall, there has been haphazard growth, which needs to be streamlined.

Water supply, pollution and lack of open spaces and green cover are becoming major issues. As a Mumbai MLA, what initiative would you take?
Yes. These are all citizen-centric issues I will be taking them up. Development of open and green spaces will remain a priority, and I will take up issues of water shortage and pollution in the House.

Redevelopment is a common issue and Mulund has a number of new private as well as SRA schemes coming up. How do you intend to tackle the issue?
Mulund has been a planned and organised suburb from the beginning. But with the spate of development and redevelopment, the face of Mulund is now changing. The issue of old pagdi and cessed buildings in Mulund has been vexed . A lot of redevelopment projects are stuck mid-way, which directly affects residents. There is an urgent need to intervene in these issues as it affects all residents directly. The present elected representatives seem to have sidestepped these issues. We shall work towards solving them.

Citizen speak

Bharat J Soni, Secretary, Hillside Residents
Welfare Association, an NGO, said, "The key concerns are rehabilitation and infrastructure, health and environment, public transport, traffic and parking. A stop-work notice must be issued for the permanent transit camp work near Kelkar college and an interstate bus terminal should be established at the defunct octroi naka on LBS Marg and highway. The proposed rehabilitation of Dharavi project-affected people on salt pan land and the old octroi naka land will lead to waterlogging. Also, construction activities are causing noise and air pollution. BEST bus stops have waiting time of 20 to 25 minutes, and the frequency on route no. 401 from Mulund to Shree Nagar, Thane is zero. Routine traffic jams occur at R Mall junction, and tourist and school buses are parked illegally. Our sitting MLA claims Dharavikars won't impact Mulund, but hundreds of acres have been allocated for resettlement on salt pans, which will affect Nahur and Mulund."

Nirmal Thakkar, Activist
"Unlike in the old days, the population of Mulund is slowly increasing. With this growth comes the problem of congestion. Visit any arterial road; there is so much crowding and traffic, mostly because of hawkers taking over. Mulund also needs new roads and infrastructure. The lack of open spaces and entertainment halls also needs to be addressed. We need more green spaces. Metro work, which has been going on for a while along LBS Marg needs to be completed fast. Elected representatives must take up these issues."