‘Illegal’ constructions galore, but authorities are turning a blind eye

Laxmibaug Joglekarwadi locality is situated in front of the Sion station. It comprises an apartment society, Harare Bungalow and a municipal chawl. The place, popularly known as Joglekarwadi, is named after Parsu Ram Joglekar who was the owner of this land. Migrants from other parts of Maharashtra form a major part of the population here.

Earlier, it was only a chawl but recently some apartments have been constructed; Rajgir Sadan in front of the Sion station is one of them. According to the residents, lately, Laxmibaug Joglekarwadi has been experiencing encroachment problems because of the construction of commercial shops.

They have complained to the authorities and have also taken the matter to the Maharashtra government. But till date the residents have received no appropriate response.  The residents are also worried about the deteriorating security in the area.
The blame game is on — the police point their fingers at the BMC, while  the BMC officials deny there are illegal constructions taking place in the area.
Safety and security
Eve-teasing, thefts and chain-snatchings are commonplace in the area, and the residents are unhappy that the administration is not taking steps to prevent them
Vikas Kelkar says, “There are instances when inebriated people come to our residential colony at night and shout and use abusive language and disturb us. When they see the police, they flee, but return as soon as the police team leaves.”
Dutta Khot says, “Chain-snatchings and thefts happen everyday. Last week, my neighbour was coming from the station when suddenly a man came from behind, snatched her gold chain and ran away.”
Reema Salvi says, “The subway near Sion station and our own street is a nightmare for girls and women because of eve-teasing. There are groups of boys always roaming around in the subway.”
Civic amenities
Residents complained that there is no proper lighting at night at the subway that connects Sion station and Joglekarwadi. Also, there are encroachments on the footpath.
Tukaram Dige says, “There is only one subway which is used for crossing the road. Many people come late at night from their offices and find it difficult to walk and reach home safely because the street lights are not working.”
Manjeet Singh says, “There is only one road to Laxmibaug Joglekarwadi, but the 24 shops constructed by the roadside cause great difficulties for residents who use their own vehicles.”
MG Umesh says, “All the footpaths are encroached by vegetable and fruit sellers, which causes great inconvenience to the pedestrians because of heavy congestion. The area is close to the junction of the Sion-Bandra link road and Kurla road, and hence there is a lot of traffic in the area.”
Governance
Residents say the administration has not addressed their grievances despite several written complaints. Many illegal shops are still being constructed in the area, they say.
Ramchandra Korde says, “We have complained to the BMC and also to the Chief Minister about the illegal
construction of shops in our residential area but the authorities have so far taken no action against the shops.”
MG Umesh says, “Safety and security are the main concerns of the residents in the area. There are cases of thefts, eve-teasing and chain-snatching everyday. We need proper security as many people stay here.”
G. Murkar says, “There was a tree on Laxmibaug Joglekarwadi road. Shop owners cut it down, but the authorities did not do anything to stop the tree cutting, even though law says felling a tree is a crime. We even approached the police, but they did not take any action to stop the shop owners from cutting the tree.”