Maharashtra Elections 2024: Residents share their wishlist for a better Andheri—Take a look at their demands

Residents have demanded that the Mrinal Tai Gore flyover extension be completed on war footing. File pic/Anurag Ahire

With a week to go for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Andheri residents have come up with their own manifesto of what they want for their area and handed it over to candidates. From a pending post office to waste management, water contamination and a missing fire station, the 11-point manifesto details points across Andheri East and West, highlighting various amenities that are required, the lacunae of services and what could be done to improve the region.

The key candidates contesting in Versova (constituency no. 165) include Bharati Lavekar from the BJP, Haroon Khan from Sena UBT and Sandesh Desai from the MNS.

"We have categorised it into 11 points including public infra, sewage and sanitation, fire safety, post office, Lokhandwala Lake dredging, environmental issues, Metro issues, water contamination, waste management and even the changing demographics and topography," Dhaval Shah, citizen activist and co-founder of the Lokhandwala-Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA) said.

Dredging of Lokhandwala Lake is one of the points highlighted. File pic

"Under public infrastructure of roads and bridges, work on the Thackeray flyover extension, the Yari Road to SVP Nagar bridge, Versova to Madh bridge, the Mrinal Tai Gore Flyover extension and the Versova-Bandra Sea Link have been underway. We need a timeline for each project so that citizens know what is lagging behind. Also, it should be mandatory that all new cement concrete roads should have utility ducts so frequent digging isn't required. As for sewage and sanitation, work on the Mogra Nullah Pumping Station has been stuck for decades," the manifesto elaborates.

"A DP reservation for fire brigade has been there since 1991 and it should become a reality soon as the number of high rises is Increasing and a large spate of redevelopment is happening, further Increasing the number of residents and fire risks. Also, there is a post office plot reserved at Oshiwara since 1980. Work is yet to start. It is causing a lot of inconvenience to senior citizens forcing them to commute all the way to Azad Nagar for small work," the manifesto adds.

"As far as the environment is concerned, there are multiple issues, including mangroves coming under attack at Yari Road, causing erosion of green cover with slums encroaching on the land. Other issues include dredging of the Lokhandwala Lake and the removal of the Lokhandwala Transit Dumpyard. The public transport issue is also becoming serious. We need high-capacity, double-deck bus services in the entire constituency to clear the rush of passengers. Also, acquisition of Metro 1 which is overburdened with rising commuters of Line 2A, 7 & 3 needs to be speeded up and the coaches increased from 4 to 6 on a war footing. Also, now that a R400 crore je􀆩y is coming up at Versova, water transportation to south Mumbai should be explored," it added.

Further, the manifesto speaks of water supply issues, with increasing dependency on tankers and the issue of water contamination which needs to be addressed. "Waste management is another issue. Local hotspots include Heera Panna Mall, Dheeraj Gaurav Heights and 1st Cross outside Dominos Yari Road which need to be tacked first. Other issues include hawkers taking over the road, and traffic jams," it elaborated.

The other points in the manifesto include getting a large public hospital in the constituency as Cooper hospital is overburdened. With changing demographics and topography, a large spate of redevelopments is leading to the deterioration of road infrastructure, dust, and noise pollution. For this, setback areas need to be taken from redeveloped societies so that utilities and roads can be widened.

"We are handing over our manifesto to candidates this week at public rallies to pinpoint the issues that our constituency is facing," Shah said.

11
No. of points listed in manifesto

• Public infrastructure
• Dust, noise pollution
• Sewage and sanitation
• Fire safety
• Post office
• Lokhandwala Lake dredging
• Environmental issues
• Metro issues
• Water contamination
• Waste management
• Changing demographics and topography