Just two decades ago, Wagle Estate in Thane was an industrial powerhouse that churned out thousands of jobs for people who came to Mumbai to follow their dreams.
Just two decades ago, Wagle Estate in Thane was an industrial powerhouse that churned out thousands of jobs for people who came to Mumbai to follow their dreams.
But today the Wagle Estate Industrial Area is dying. Most of its industrial units have made way to slums and illegal construction. According to records obtained from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), over 80 per cent of construction in the area is illegal, and areas like Kisan Nagar are the biggest culprits.
The civic administration has failed in its efforts to curb illegal construction, mainly due to political pressures. The urban decay has set in, and the area’s entire infrastructure has collapsed. Slums have now started encroaching the hills inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
The TMC has failed to provide basic amenities such as water, approach roads, health-care services, education and transport facilities to area residents, says K Shashikant, a resident of Anand Savli Apartments. Whether they are slumdwellers or families from affluent neighbourhoods, they are forced to go to the Thane Civil Hospital, which is 4km away from Wagle Estate. Roads that were concretised under the Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP) five years ago by then-municipal commissioner Dr T Chandrashekhar have in disrepair. The bridge on the Kamgar Hospital Road near Vaiti Wadi has been under construction for the past 18 months, and it has now become one of the highest accident-prone zone.
Nostalgia
Green was the colour here
Ratnakar Gupte, 78, a former corporator, hasn’t lost faith in Wagle Estate’s potential as an industrial hub of Thane. “The area has the ability to generate employment, provided the industries are revived,” says the senior citizen who has been living in Louise Wadi for the past 15 years. “If there is political will to check illegal constructions, the area can be developed. Even though there is a sanctioned development plan for the area, the administration has failed to implement it due to political interference.”
Gupte recalls the good old days when the area sported just four to five multi-storey buildings, with virtually no slums. “Wagle Estate area was under a thick canopy of trees,” he says. “I spent many pleasant evenings, enjoying the fresh air. But today the picture has turned grotesque. It is the fault of irresponsible politicians.” — (As told to Ashwin Aghor)
Vox populi
Politicians need to be more active rather than just showing up during elections for votes. So many issues need to be tackled such as providing good roads, sufficient water supply and checking illegal construction. —RB Waghate, resident of Vaiti Wadi
There has been no development. Infrastructure has collapsed, and I feel politicians are not willing to rectify the issues. They just want personal gains. —Kadambari Shashikant, resident of Louise Wadi
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