Splitting of P North ward, among largest, most populous in city, may get delayed due to civic polls
In its 2021-22 budget, the BMC had even made a provision of Rs 5 crore for the bifurcation of P-North ward
The residents of Malad East who have to visit the west side of the suburb for many BMC-related works will have to put up with the inconvenience for at least another year. The corporation’s plan to bifurcate the P-North ward (Malad) is likely to be postponed due to the upcoming civic elections, scheduled to be held early next year.
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Among the largest and most crowded in the city, P-North has 18 electoral wards with a population of 10 lakh. During his budget speech of 2021-22, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal had said that it would be divided into P-East and P-West wards for the convenience of the public.
Though there are three wards that were under consideration for a long time, the civic corporation had decided to go first with P-North. A provision of Rs 5 crore was sanctioned in the 2021-22 budget.
“The process is going on but it will take more time considering technical issues as well as corporation elections which are around the corner,” said Bharat Marathe, deputy municipal commissioner of Zone VI. Explaining the need to split the ward, he said it is difficult to handle wards with a vast geographical area and big population and that most of the offices in the suburbs are situated on the west side of the railway station that people from the east find it difficult to access.
Like P-North ward, bifurcation of other large wards such as K-East, which includes Andheri East, Jogeshwari East and Vile Parle East, and L ward, covering Kurla and Chembur, are also on the cards. At the same time, merger of smaller wards like A and C, and B and E is also being explored.
There are 227 electoral (corporators) wards and 24 administrative wards in Mumbai and the civic administration is keen to make each administrative ward with 10 electoral wards. However, officials said, the process is lengthy as it will change the geography of every ward and create confusion.
10 lakh
Population of P-North ward
24
No. of administrative wards in Mumbai
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