Can Chandivli’s 20-point manifesto shape the future of its neglected roads and citizen needs?

Congress ex-MLA Naseem Khan (fourth person holding manifesto from right) met with Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association members last week

Chandivli residents have come up with a 20-point manifesto and invited candidates contesting the Assembly election from their constituency to discuss their wish list in an open forum. On their list is a 90-foot road connecting Chandivli to Andheri. mid-day has been highlighting the residents' long-standing demand that the stretch, which was planned 30 years ago, be constructed and its reportage even prompted the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission to initiate sou motu action and pull up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) earlier this year.

The key candidates contesting the Chandivli Assembly seat are Congress ex-MLA Naseem Khan, incumbent Shinde Sena MLA Dilip Lande and MNS's Mahendra Bhanushali.

MNS candidate Mahendra Bhanushali met Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association members on Thursday

Bhanushali met with residents on Thursday while Khan met them last week.

Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder of the Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA), said, "We have a 20-point citizen manifesto. These are all local issues and we invited candidates to place our points before them and share views."

A Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association meeting

"Unfortunately, in Chandivli, discussions about issues and development have taken a backseat. Our demands include halting illegal furnaces and ready-mix plants and stopping the political encroachment of public spaces. The involvement of citizens in use of such spaces should be mandatory," he added.

"Other important issues include a fully functional fire station in the area. The mini fire station situated on Chandivli Farm Road in the vicinity of high-rises is ineffective. A permanent solution is needed for illegal parking, DP Road No. 9 in Powai is also shoddy," he said.

Chandivli residents sat on a hunger strike, demanding that the BMC build the 90-foot road, in August last year. File pic/Satej Shinde

The citizens' manifesto also includes the construction of a 90-foot DP Road connecting Chandivli/Andheri to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR). Chandivli residents have long been demanding this stretch to decongest the area, which is currently dependent on two routes - Chandivli Farm Road and DP Road No. 9, both of which are choked as traffic had increased after the corporation granted permissions to build residential and commercial towers in the area over the past decade. The 90-foot road would connect Saki Naka to the JVLR via Chandivli Farm Road.

In 2021, the BMC only built one-third of the 600-metre-long road, where currently two-wheelers, trucks and garbage dumpers are parked. The land through which the rest of the road is supposed to pass belongs to two parties - a private developer and a Central government corporation - but it is being occupied by encroachers. The CCWA went on a hunger strike on August 20 after no steps were taken by the corporation in the previous six months despite assurances.

Top six demands

1 MLA should respect the public mandate and not switch parties after the election.
2 Stop misuse of public funds in free distributions like cookers, sarees and other freebies.
3 Include the BMC within the scope of the state government's online RTI system.
4 Cap private school fees and hospital charges.
5 Stop political encroachment of public spaces and amenities under the guise of public libraries, etc.
6 Clamp down on air and noise pollution and make the constituency pedestrian-first.

The Chandivli citizens' manifesto

l MLAs should respect the public mandate and not switch political parties after elections
l Ensure electricity is affordable
l Stop the misuse of public and BMC funds, which are used for freebies
l Effectively implement the Right to Public Services Act and the Right to Information Act
l Include the BMC within the scope of the state government's online RTI system
l Put a cap on private school fees and hospital charges
l Stop political encroachment on public spaces and amenities under the guise of public libraries; public participation should be mandatory in deciding the use of public places
l Set up a sports centre with advanced amenities for Chandivli and Powai
l Resolve traffic congestion and widen existing roads. (Construct 90-foot road connecting Andheri/Chandivli to JVLR)
l Stop air pollution from illegal bhattis (furnaces) and ready-mix cement plants
l Build fully functional fire station at Chandivli and Powai
l Act against illegal hoardings
l Implement pedestrian first policy. Remove encroachments. Stop usage of gas cylinders on footpaths
l Stop open dumping of garbage
l Abolish or correct GST levied on cooperative housing societies
l Effectively deal with non-maintenance of public gardens and encroachment of open spaces
l Provide a permanent solution to the problem of illegal parking of heavy vehicles near residential areas
l Effectively deal with noise pollution
l Correct shoddy road concreting work
l Representatives must always be accessible to Chandivli citizens

Candidatespeak

Naseem Khan (Congress)
"Yes. I have been interacting with and meeting residents to include all their issues for the past three months. I have taken suggestions from all citizen forums, societies and residents. The Chandivli constituency has become a hotbed of corruption and we need to save the area. We need to focus on citizen issues and several of them are pending. I have drawn up a special manifesto for Chandivli, which includes several points like streamlined conveyance process, Mithi river clean-up, construction of DP Road, basic amenities in chawls and hilly areas, traffic solutions, making Chandivli drug-free, fast-tracking MHADA redevelopment and SRA projects, among others."

Mahendra Bhanushali (MNS)
"I met the residents and have noted their demands. Both the candidates have clearly not done any work in the area and my vision will be to remain focussed on citizens' issues. Take the case of DP Road, for example. Good wide roads have been built in the areas of elected representatives, but not where required. We need to change this, and I will work for citizens."

Dilip Bhausaheb (Mama) Lande (Shinde Sena)

Dilip Bhausaheb (Mama) Lande (Shinde Sena)
Multiple attempts to contact the sitting MLA failed. Several mobile numbers listed in his election affidavit are of his office or his credit society, which is used for public relations. While someone named Thorat picked up one of his numbers and stated that it would be difficult to contact him since he was busy, his office said he was in the "war room" and gave a few more mobile numbers, which also went unanswered. Calls and a message sent to Lande's son Prayag's number went unanswered by
press time.

EC orders probe into video

The Election Commission has ordered an inquiry into an alleged inflammatory video made by Sagar Tulaskar,Up Vibhaag Pramukh of Chandivli, and a supporter of Lande. A complaint by the chief polling agent of the MVA candidate submitted with evidence and videos had alleged an "intention of attempting to tarnish the public image of Naseem Khan" by creating enmity on religious grounds. The Election Commission has ordered to examine the evidence and initiate appropriate action if found true.