Traffic, garbage keep Mumbai residents stressed

Residents of Ghatkopar spoke up about issues such as traffic jams, improper garbage disposal and lack of walking spaces at the second meet of ‘My Locality, My Voice’ organised by DNA and held at the SPN Doshi Women’s College in Ghatkopar on Saturday.

The meet was conducted to ensure that citizens, who are otherwise not involved in the planning process, can express concerns about their localities to a panel of elected local representatives, party leaders, corporators and activists. The idea is to create awareness about the upcoming election, and at the end of each campaign in different administrative wards, create a manifesto of sorts that will help elected representatives work towards dedicated goals.

In attendance were corporators from N Ward (Ghatkopar), Ashwini Mate (Shiv Sena), Shobha Asher (BJP), Bhalchandra Shirsat (BJP), Lok Satta Party spokesperson Ram Ramdas, and over 100 residents of the area.

“Increasing traffic and lack of footpaths make it dangerous and stressful for pedestrians. For even short distances, like crossing over from the east to west during peak hours, it takes around 40 minutes,” said Manish Mehta, one of the attendees.

Residents complained that due to lack of proper, wide roads, motorists have to ply on pedestrian cross roads. On roads
like LBS Marg, water tankers park illegally and no action is taken against them, corporator Asher said.

“On the few occasions that action is taken, hooliganism on the part of the drivers ensures that they continue to monopolise the road.” said Asher. The solution to this, residents suggested, was to make sure tankers ply in the non-peak hours or during the night.

Shirsat placed part of the blame on residents too. “People who come to dine at a popular joint stand on the road, making driving on these roads difficult.” Mate, who arrived late, wooed voters by saying that she has put forward a proposal to widen roads and add another bridge for better connectivity.

The other concerns residents voiced were of hawkers around the station that have almost completely blocked the passageways, and improper garbage disposal. Shirsat, while agreeing that hawkers added to traffic woes, claimed that there was no garbage disposal problem in his ward. “It is never on the roads,” he said.