Mumbai: F-North ward held to ransom by hoodlums, rampant construction

At the very heart of Mumbai, right at the edge of the island city, is the F-North ward.

With several prominent areas like Matunga, Sion, Wadala, Prateeksha Nagar and Antop Hill, this is where the island city connects with both, the eastern and western suburbs, forming the borderline between Mumbai and Greater Mumbai.

Renowned for its colourful Ganpati festivities and plethora of udupi hotels, this quarter of the city is also considered one of Mumbai's green lungs because of the large number of trees and parks - the latest addition being the 800-metre-long joggers park under the flyover on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in Matunga. But here too, the green canopy is quickly transforming into a grey concrete jungle, stacked with buildings like Lego blocks. As the older houses are demolished to make way for swankier skyscrapers, so too are Matunga's south Indian residents being replaced by a more diverse and affluent population, along with a whole new set of problems resulting from the uncontrolled development.

The already busy area outside Matunga station gets further congested because of illegal parking. Pic/Atul Kamble

Terrible traffic: As the local population continues to grow, the number of vehicles on the road too have increased correspondingly. But with roads staying much the same over the years, it has led to heavy traffic on the roads. Once a calm and quiet place, now the air here constantly rings with the impatient honks of motorists trapped in a traffic nightmare. Roads have just 2-3 lanes, most of which are blocked with double parking, leaving just one lane for vehicular movement. With hawkers occupying most footpaths, there's barely any space for pedestrians either. At Wadala and Prateeksha Nagar, things are even more difficult because of the Monorail pillars and illegal slums eating up space.

Slum segments: Slums occupy vast swathes of Wadala, Antop Hill, Chunabhatti and Prateeksha Nagar. At locations near Sion Koliwada and Chaar Rasta at King's Circle (leading to Wadala), one the slums go as far as the eye can see. The authorities are doing little to stop these illegal structures from gobbling up roads and open spaces. With many of these shantytowns sitting on the roadside, tonnes of garbage is dumped right on the roads, leading to a major sanitation problem.

Garden gangsters: This side of the city is known for gardens and playgrounds. Famous areas like Five Gardens, Parsi Colony, Hindu Colony, King's Circle, Sion Circle, Matunga and Indian Gymkhana are some of large centres that provide open spaces. However, this ward's open spaces turn into a haven for anti-social elements late at night. In fact, the local police have put up posters asking people to stay safe from thieves and chain-snatchers. Locals claim that most of these criminals loiter inside these gardens and gymkhanas.