H ward residents demand stringent guidelines for the transfer of TDR and action against encroachment
Residents of Bandra feel it is high time that their suburb truly lives up to its sobriquet, ‘Queen of the Suburbs’.
At the Saturday session of the ‘My Locality My Voice Campaign’ conducted by the DNA for the H wards (Bandra, Khar and Santa Cruz — east and west), residents had a few demands for the elected representatives and aspiring candidates for the forthcoming BMC elections.
They wanted the candidates to look into the amendment of the law that protects open spaces and form stringent guidelines for the transfer of development rights (TDR) which is being grossly misused.
The meet was organised at Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce at Carter Road, Bandra (west).
Residents said that the H ward is largely commercial and there is little scope for the development open spaces and infrastructure in the future.
“Given how TDR is misused and FSI norms are violated, one feels there is no scope of improving the situation no matter how much we citizens try to raise issues on various platforms”, said Nitin Khandiyal, resident of H-west ward.
Citizens also raised issues such as encroachment on footpaths, illegal hawkers, corrupt practices in the BMC’s building and factory department and building proposals department and redundant skywalks.
Congress corporator Asif Zakaria claimed that he has always supported citizen protests in his area and ensured that they get their dues, but strongly supported development because “development cannot be stopped”.
The H-west was represented by three corporators, but residents of H-east ward (east of Santacruz, Khar and Bandra) lamented that none of their corporators turned up which only showed their lack of commitment. The H-west ward corporators, in turn, had to face the citizens’ wrath on behalf of their colleagues who were absent.
Resident Bharat Vishwarkarma, claimed that their issues were not solved because the corporators are not interested in them. “They just want to win elections and don’t want to serve,” he complained.
Cynthia Fernandes, a citizen candidate from Lok Satta contesting in H-east said after chasing corporators and the BMC, she learnt it the hard way that unless people participate in politics, the voice of the middle class will not be heard.
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