Mumbai: ‘Corporator or no corporator, makes no difference to us’

The countrylsquos largest and richest municipal corporation has been functioning without corporators since March 2022 To gauge the impact of this on Mumbaikars midday spoke to members of citizensrsquo associations and area locality management ALM groupsActivists working with citizensrsquo associations are active in several areas across the city Many of them believe that the absence of corporators has not made a very huge difference to the city while others have said that the situation has turned from bad to worse A few feel that the connection between the citizen and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has been severedIndrani Malkani chairperson VCANMembers of residentsrsquo associations and ALM groups said that even though corporators have a legal standing and better access to civic wards many issues can be resolved via local ward offices Indrani Malkani foundersecretary Little Gibbs Road 1 2 and 3 ALM at Malabar Hill and chairperson of V Citizens Action Network VCAN said ldquoWe havenrsquot relied much on corporators even during their terms and have worked cordially and directly with the ward offices For me there is no difference if there are no corporators as we are in direct contact with BMC ward offices The administration continues to function and funds are distributed among each ward office Work is being carried out equally At our level relationships have already been built at the ward levelrdquoMalkani added ldquoHowever there is no legal provision for funds to be given at ALMs or citizensrsquo associations that is where the role of corporators comes in They represent citizens and can keep a check on work done in their wards These elected representatives are the intermediary or facilitators between the corporation and citizens But they also have their own limitations and at times can be partial The question is have they managed to do equitable work with those funds I donrsquot think so They will look at which one is a better preposition to spend the funds as per the vote bank Work is done accordinglyrdquoLittle Gibbs Road at tony Malabar Hill in south Mumbai on Tuesday PicAshish RajeAshok Gupta president of Breach Candy Residentsrsquo Association and vicepresident of Marine Drive Citizens Association said ldquoMost of the work in our areas whether for roads or encroachments is done through ward offices We also prefer calling and reporting matters to the BMC ward office The majority of the areas that our association covers are VIP areasrdquoStating that he didnrsquot think the city stopped functioning in the absence of corporators he said ldquoProblems still exist but the show is going on nothing has stopped in past the 1516 months Some former corporators are still making an effort and meeting with residents to learn about their problems and assist in finding solutions Just last month Makrand Narvekar a former corporator from south Mumbai met with locals to discuss problems in their neighbourhoodsrdquoManish Adhav a resident of Churchgate said ldquoRecently I had called the A ward office to report potholes in Churchgate and Colaba I received an update call within three days informing me that the potholes had been filled and that my complaint had been addressed I personally went to the spot to check and confirmed this This gave me the confidence to reach out to the BMC directly They do respond and sometimes even address complaints promptlyrdquoActivist Anandini Thakoor right Ashok Gupta head of a residentsrsquo associationldquoThe situation has gone from bad to worserdquo said Anandini Thakoor a 94yearold veteran social activist and the managing trustee of Khar Residents Association and the secretary of H West Federation She said ldquoCorporators contribute minimally to the resolution of citizensrsquo civic issues and spend most of their time erecting unnecessary monuments across the city flashing their names and claiming creditHowever roads and other civic infrastructure in the city continue to be bad This was when the corporators were around But at least they came around whenever we complained The situation has worsened as the administration is not doing what they are supposed to dordquo There are some who feel the connection between citizens and the civic body has not been completely lostHarish Pandey secretary New Link Road Residents Association Dahisar told midday ldquoCorporators were a direct connection between local residents and BMC ward offices When we would raise complaints they would work with us round the clock at times Officials arenrsquot available after office hours Many citizens especially those in slum areas are unaware of helplines or the contact details of ward offices But they can connect with corporators easily and whenever they want These corporators are their representatives in the BMCrdquoHarish PandeyHe added ldquoEarlier we got issues such as broken or missing manhole covers damaged benches in parks and gardens and dysfunctional civic amenities easily resolved through ward offices Ward officials are not very attentive to calls and complaints from residents in the absence of corporatorsrdquoPandey said ldquoAs associations we have the contacts of officials and ward offices but itrsquos different for common citizens I feel this connection is lost in the absence of corporators Besides corporators get funds which are used to beautify and resolve civic issues in their wards Whatrsquos happening with those funds How is that money being usedrdquoVijay Ullal a Versova resident who started a WhatsApp group to resolve local issues said ldquoWe at ward 59 do not miss our corporator as she did nothing except add more hawkers and encroachments We have been facing garbage issues for years They were never dealt with even when the corporator was informedrdquo2022Year corporatorsrsquo term ended