Three key Issues that matter most to the Navi Mumbaikars, ahead of 2020 civic elections

Navi Mumbai: With 2020 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) civic elections only months away, the newly formed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leaving no stone unturned to win the elections. The NMMC has 111 elected corporators and a budget of Rs 3,850 crore to cater to the million-plus population. While the political parties are busy wooing strong candidates to win maximum seats, the taxpayers are complaining about NMMC’s negligence towards basic civic issues. TheNews21.com spoke to Navi Mumbaikar’s about the key civic issues that affect them the most, and why they should be on the election agenda.  

Three key issues that Navi Mumbaikars complained about are burdening civic infrastructure due to rampant development of Gaothan plots, liberally neglected by the administration. The inefficient public transport forces many to opt for private vehicles. Thus burdening them financially and adding to the traffic chaos, and finally, the hawker’s menace which makes it impossible for the people to walk on the streets in the planned city.

Illegal development of Gaothan properties has further burdened the civic infrastructure 

Rampantly growing authorized construction on Gaothan plots, without due civic permission is not only hazardous to the occupiers of the buildings but is also affecting the legitimate taxpayers of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). 

Gaothan plots all across the city be it at Vashi, Sanpada, Nerul, Belapur, Digha, Juinagar, Shiravane, Koparkhairane and Ghansoli village are rampantly developed without following any civic or architecture plans. The old house in about 1000 square meter’s plot is suddenly developed in a four-storey building. Thus bringing the burden on civic amenities like drainage, sewage system, water pipeline, and roads which is affecting the taxpaying citizens. 

The NMMC has published list of 139 such illegal construction spanning from September to December 2019 on their website, warning the citizens not to buy any shops or residential flats in these properties. However, no action is taken to curb the unauthorized construction. A similar list is regularly published by the corporation on its website since May 2018. 

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“Villagers are hap-hazardously developing their residential plots into a four-storied building. There is no control of the corporation on it, as a result of this water supply, drainage systems and even roads passing through these villages are strained. If the stressed drainage systems bursts in a village, which happens occasionally it affects the authorized buildings as well. But the corporation seems to be neglecting the whole issue,” explained Advocate Shantaram Hole, resident of sector 5, Sanpada which is adjacent to the Sanpada village. 

The residents complained that the overwrought civic amenities result in health issues like misquotes breeding and diseases related to it. The rampant unauthorized development of Gaothan properties is also affecting the water supply to the legal buildings located in the same vicinity.    

When contacted, Mayor JD Sutar and corporator from Shirvane village said, “The Maharashtra Regional Town (MRT) planning conditions are so stringent that it is difficult for project-affected people (PAP’s) to obtain occupancy certificate (OC). Thus, we are requesting the state government to regularise these structures. In the meantime, you may direct your queries to the administration as to why they are not taking action against the unauthorized construction. It is inappropriate for me to comment on the issue being Mayor of the city as well as a PAP leader,”  

The calls and messages to Dr. A.R. Patnigire, the deputy municipal commissioner (encroachment) were unanswered.  

Inefficient public transport makes public life chaotic 

For 52-year old Anuradha Kanade newly turned entrepreneur in Navi Mumbai the daily commute is to her restaurant is a bigger challenge than running her establishment. The Nerul Sector 16 A, resident spends at least one hour traveling 10 km distance between Nerul to Koparkhairane sector 12 one way, if she has to rely on intra-city public transport. The same distance takes 20 minutes in her private vehicle. 

“We Navi Mumbaikars are heavily dependent on private vehicles for the local commute. Generally, my son drops me at the restaurant, this restricts my mobility and makes me dependent on him to run the business. On an average waiting time for city buses is one hour. Thus, we opt for train and auto rickshaw service, which is not affordable for the daily commute,” explained Anuradha. Like Anuradha, many other Navi Mumbai citizens are compelled to opt for private vehicles to travel short distances, due to inefficient local public transport. 

“Inefficient public transport is a major concern for Navi Mumbaikars. We are compelled to go for private vehicles, which is not only adding to traffic on the road but also creates road safety issues and makes citizen’s life more strenuous,” said Saniya Khan (27) Manager, Nerul Gymkhana, who travels Nerul east to west daily on a two-wheeler. 

NMMT the undertaking has 475 buses catering to 3,00,000 passengers daily and operating on 77 routes.

The residents complained that the NMMT bus frequency is very poor, and bus routes are operated on the main road, instead of connecting the interiors of the city. Thus citizens have to walk a good distance simply to reach the bus stop.

When contacted, former NMMT chairman Ramchandra (Aaba) Dharmaji Dalvi, said, “Yes, we admit that the frequency of the buses is poor because the rate of breakdown is high. Our 35 to 40 % of the bus fleet is 12-13 years old which leads to regular breakdowns of buses and thus affects the frequency. To address the issue we had requested CIDCO to provide us at least 100 new buses so that we can provide good connectivity to Navi Mumbai, Ulwe, Kharghar, and Panvel.” 

Increasing hawkers and weekly markets nuisance haunts Navi Mumbaikars 

For 73-year old, Vashi-based Narendra Kamath a safe walk on the city footpaths has become a daily challenge thanks to the growing hawker’s menace, which is multiplying by the day in the planned city. 

The Vashi sector 3, resident Kamath complained that after the transfer of former NMMC commissioner Tukaram Mundhe the hawker’s menace in the city has increased rampantly. There is no control on hawkers who are seen hawking on the multiple locations on different days, which indicates that they are certainly not licensed.

“The sector 9 hawkers were shifted near Vashi bus depot but now some of them are seen hawking at both the places. Some times on different days or they make others do business on their behalf. The hawker’s menace is jeopardizing the safety of senior citizens like us who are forced to walk on the roads,” said Kamath, who has been residing in Vashi for the last 33 years.  

Besides the hawkers menace, it’s the Weekly markets that are held in different nodes on the different days of the week. “These weekly Baazars are held under the patronage of local corporator and civic officials. Each hawker claims of paying Rs 500 to Rs 1000 to the ward corporator. As a result, of which you will never see any action on these Weekly markets,” said Avinash Ghade (name changed), resident of Ghansoli village. 

Over 200 hawkers are estimated to be running the business in each of the weekly markets. Similar, weekly markets are held in Shiravane Village, Turbhe, Nerul, Belapur, Ghansoli Village and Colony, and Airoli on a different week.   

The residents also complained about increasing thefts, and crime soon after a weekly-market in their locality, but this was denied by the local police station. “We conduct regular patrolling of the areas at different times to ensure crime is under control and no rise is noticed in the crime during or after weekly markets,” said Vikas Ramagude, senior police inspector Sanpada Police station, sector 8. 

It is not only residents but even corporators have been raising the issue in general body meetings. Monika Patil, corporator from Ghansoli village admitted the hawker’s nuisance as a big issue in Navi Mumbai. 

“We have been demanding NMMC to undertake a hawker’s survey and limit the hawker’s number, so that you can identify the unauthorized and authorized hawkers. We understand the roads are getting blocked by hawkers since there is no market reserved plot in Ghansoli. I have been demanding for a market plot in Ghansoli and hawkers survey for the last 10 years.” 

(The author Prajakta Chavan is senior journalist from Navi Mumbai.)