Mumbai: ‘Corporators care about party, not public’

Most activists who take on the powers that be to improve civic infrastructure and citizensrsquo living conditions feel that corporators and public representatives in general are more interested in reaping benefits for themselves than in public issuesThey believe that though corporators are helpful in solving small issues they lack vision are bound by their partyrsquos agenda or have vested interests when it comes to major problems or policy mattersGone are the days when activists took to the streets to protest against the authorities Newage activists mainly depend upon innovative tools like the Right to Information Act helplines and social media to put pressure on officials midday speak to some activists to understand whether corporators are helpful as the latter are responsible for solving public issuesThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters on June 23 2023 File picAshish RajeMumtaj Sheikh an activist based in Mankhurd Govandi said ldquoIn the past year and a half it did not feel like there was no corporator Earlier all power was concentrated in the hands of one person and people went to them to solve not only civic issues but also their family problems A letter from the corporator was even needed to get an Aadhaar card and get admission to schools But now people realise that there are other options They can approach the BMC fill up a form and register a complaint They will get a response within a week or sordquoShe added ldquoSome residents used to go to the corporator but those who are wise now opt for the administrative procedurerdquoMumtaj said even when they approached councillors a few from the same locality took the initiative to solve their issues but outsider corporators were reluctantMumtaj Sheikh activist Anil Galgali and Trivankumar KarnaniMandeep Singh Makkar founder member Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association CCWA has an unfavourable opinion of corporators ldquoCorporators have never represented the people They have their own agendas and are here to run their own businesses and make money rather than serve citizens Most footpath encroachments and illegal slum constructions are carried out with the blessings of corporatorsrdquoHe added ldquoI think BMC is a little better without corporators At least now citizens can openly point out the shortcomings of the civic body Earlier people used to fear political parties and corporatorsrdquoCCWA is an association of residents and offices in newly developed towers in Chandivli and they have been fighting for encroachmentfree roads and footpaths in their area as well as the construction of a road as per the development plan Members alleged that the local corporator and MLA are turning a blind eye to slum dwellersrsquo illegal activities as they are their votebankDhaval Shah and Godfrey PimentaGodfrey Pimenta an activist alleged that not only corporators but also civic officials do not follow the rules ldquoThe majority of corporators have become rich by unlawful means The same yardstick applies to BMC officials The whole system of civic governance needs drastic changesrdquo he saidTrivankumar Karnani activist Mumbai North Central District Forum MNCDF said that corporators are a link between people and administration and they can solve issues but added that after activists make a few complaints their attitude towards them turns negativeHowever not all civic activists have an entirely poor opinion of corporators as some councillors are efficientDhaval Shah founder of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association considers corporators a somewhat good link with regard to big decisions like constructing roads and bridges and civic issues such as water supply ldquoApart from this the absence of corporators has not made a very big difference as we used to liaise with officials directlyrdquo he saidAnil Galgali a civic activist said ldquoCorporators have their own agenda as well as that of their party But after the first heavy rains the slum population missed their corporators as the latter were used to stand at the spots and clear gutters and look at the garbage issue The administration needs to pay attention to public participation When the citizens are directly involved the administration will immediately realise the facts and the true situationrdquoHe added that if the BMC allotted corporatorsrsquo funds to MLAs it is their duty to see that the public does not face any inconvenienceldquoA corporator has 50000 to 55000 people in his or her constituency and knows many voters personally MLAs however have at least 3 to 4 lakh constituents and it is a bit difficult to look into all the civic issuesrdquo he saidTweet talkrajivsharma2012Most corporators are quite useless in their work Many of them are behind illegal activities like encroachment of public spaces The city seems to be doing quite well without them Plus we are saving on their salaries and many many perks We donrsquot need themChandivaliCCWAAll the mess you see around you including encroachments on footpaths is due to the blessings of corporators We conducted an online poll asking people if corporators voiced their civic issues and if they missed them 8537 of people say they donrsquot miss the corporatorsviveksahIf municipal authorities do their work diligently we donrsquot need to go to politicians to get our work done The problem is no one is held accountable for work not done Fine suspend demote sack if employees donrsquot work I am sure there will be others willing to take up the jobVishal1296People in slums are the only ones who need corporators theyrsquore missing their freebiessumoricA city like Mumbai has the population of many small countries concentrated in a tiny area needs order and discipline Slums and encroachments are a sign of indiscipline and disorder which can choke the life of a city We need wise corporators who can bring order to chaosIndCity12Corporators are not needed They are uneducated unsophisticated