MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha of the Malabar Hill constituency shares an open letter with Mumbaikars
Dear Mumbaikars,
The Malabar Hill constituency has been very close to my heart—I have lived here for almost 30 years and the constituency is home to a large number of my family, friends and well-wishers—what I call my Malabar Hill family. I am really grateful to the citizens of the constituency for supporting me in every endeavour and hope to continue serving them in the best possible manner.
I believe that the first duty of a public representative is to be available for his constituents. Not only has my mobile number remained the same for the last 20 years but I am proud to say that I have always stood by my constituents, whatever be the occasion and whenever there's a need. I begin each morning by meeting citizens at my residence to hear (directly from them) about what we can do to make Malabar Hill even better. After personally following up with the concerned authorities on actions to be taken, I monitor each task with equal attention. 'Hamesha Aapke Saath' is my philosophy and I have tried to deliver on this promise in every possible way.
My aim is to make Mumbai one of the world's most thriving cities—if Mumbai does well, Malabar Hill will do great. Mumbai continues to remain the commercial capital of the country but I believe that we need to do a lot more to create jobs, encourage businesses and improve the quality of life. The neglect of Mumbai by the State Government needs to be addressed and I am sure that with the advent of the new Central Government led by Shri Narendra bhai Modi and a new government coming to Maharashtra soon, Mumbai's future is not only good but great.
Just as I was the first one to propose the revolutionary Right to Information Act (presented as a Private Member's Bill in late 1990s by me), I am constantly pushing for policies and actions that will benefit the city. So, when I write to you today, it is not about what I have already done for the constituency but about my immediate plans for this great city that we call home.
- Making Mumbai the best place to conduct business in India, through measures like the repeal of octroi and the abolishment of the excess license culture. This will ensure job creation and income growth.
- Building a new link road that will connect Nariman Point to Worli, within five years. This will decongest Malabar Hill's roads and reduce travel time.
- Ensuring at least five new ICSE/SSC schools in the Malabar Hill constituency, using the premises of closed or underutilised municipal schools; in all, 10,000 new school seats with preference for local residents.
- Improving public security especially for senior citizens, women and children, through enhanced lighting of all public spaces, facilitation of domestic help verification and a helpline for emergency response.
- Focussed effort on making all open spaces in our area better-equipped, better-managed and accessible to all residents.
- Prioritising environmental issues to make Malabar Hill a better place for future generations. It will be a community-led programme with features that range from solar street lighting to increased tree plantation and waste recycling.
- Ensure that all residents of cessed buildings in Malabar Hill get new homes on an ownership basis through re-development within the next 10 years and through the reform of the present regulations.
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