Mumbai: People still come to us for help, say city’s ex-corporators

It is clear that slums are missing corporators for civic infrastructure works But it seems they are also being missed by residents of buildingshousing societies as former corporators claim they have been getting as many complaints from them though their term ended oneandahalf years agoMajority of the complaints they said are of guttersnullahs choked in the rain piled up garbage low water supply potholes etc midday spoke to three former corporators about how they manage to speak to ward officials without authority and without the corporatorsrsquo fundFormer corporators claim they are getting as many complaints as they used to when they were representing the people PicShadab KhanLacking the authority to issue directives to civic officials and workers former corporators said they can only request them to resolve issues They also said they meet BMC officials as common citizens Asif Zakaria Excorporator Cong BandraThe majority of people donrsquot know that the civic term has ended They are so used to corporators being their first person of contact that we are still getting as many complaints as we used to get earlier We are trying to get issues resolved and bridge the gap between the city administration and citizens The complaints are usually about potholes sewerage drainage lines garbage low water supply etc Compared to other wards my wards consist of more buildings than slums so I get a higher number of complaints from buildings The administration is not so prompt that putting an issue on social media or WhatsApp or through the helpline can guarantee its resolution Thatrsquos why there always are complaints pending So someone has to follow up on them Today I received complaints on WhatsApp about open dumping of garbage on Kantwadi Road There are frequent complaints of the unclean beach So I called up the officer concerned and contractor to sort out the matter There are potholes on every roadIt is up to you how the administrative officer treats you I am always on the street to solve the issue I forward complaints to the BMC and when officials come I go to the spot for a follow upEvery ward received a fund and we have a list of works but unfortunately politics plays a role Now the work is being chosen by BJP MLAs The fund belongs to BMC so why is the MLA nod necessary And why is our work given second priority Anyone can propose work Does the BMC work for MLAs or for the betterment of societyPrabhakar Shinde Former corporator BJP MulundI still take a round for an hour daily in my constituency Today I received a complaint from Gunjan Shalaka building alleging that a contractor for a SRA building diverted the nullah resulting in flooding The residents of Bhavini building complained about garbage piling up on a nearby open plot A woman from another building wants the BMC to take action against the owner of the flat above hers as she faces water leakage issues I also have to look into desilting Morya lake before Ganeshotsav as devotees use it for immersion of idols Apart from such civic issues people also come for schoolscolleges admissions these days Though we are not authorised now we can visit ward officials as a common citizen Sometimes they meet us sometimes not Earlier we could raise these issues in the BMC and had corporatorsrsquo funds But now we request ward officers to work with ward fundsSanjay Ghadi Former corporator Shiv Sena UBT DahisarPeople still donrsquot know that our term has ended They come to us with complaints as usual These mostly pertain to choked gutters nowadays But there are many others like tree cutting garbage water supply admission to hospitals etcEarlier we used to call the BMC officials authoritatively but now we request them Many times they take note of our complaints sometimes we have to request them again and again The administration also faces political pressure We canrsquot work as we are not entitled to a corporatorrsquos fund The BJP MLA received R20 crore to Rs 25 crore in funds But I completed most of the work in my area during my tenure If someone comes for work like repairing gutters or tiling natters we request them to hold on till the monsoon and the elections are overReaders RespondThe absence of corporators raises questions about their relevance when it comes to addressing problems effectivelyShailesh N PurohitPolitical turmoil in the state has diverted attention from civic issues Early elections for a consensus government focused on development are the need of the hourS N KabraMany feel that Mumbai would be better off without these uneducated corporators and their influence on BMCA Majeed MotiwalaThe absence of corporators yields no significant change and therefore doubts arise as to their effectiveness There is no need for nagar sevaks when BMC can directly handle civic affairs thus saving taxpayerrsquos moneyIqbal Gilani MansuriTweet talkVivek viveksahAt the same time NGOsactivists are also in it for an agenda We need work to be done rather than some people chasing their agenda If there is no agenda and work gets done like clockwork then we donrsquot need any politicians or activistsThe Common Man PrabuddhaManushPeople join politics for power and position which enables them to get kickbacks in government expenditure Once elected the sole objective is to make as much money as possible so that even if they donrsquot get elected again they are still comfortableNalesh Bhatia naleshibI think we should start printing our posters showing area wise condition and replace them with those the corporators install appraising their area workersMLAsetc This possibly should hit their image badly and also educate residents about the strength of their unworthy corporatorRiz Qureshi rizuajqCommon people are first to be blameChetan Kamble ckdadarElected representatives make very little difference in the lives of citizens as many issues are now being escalated through online platforms public forums and social organisations nowadays However citizens may lack the formal authority and resources to implement broader changes or address complex issues that require legislative or regulatory actionMaroL Citizens Voice MarolMoVoOne of the corporator in Marol rather than easing the difficulties of the residents brings more and more people from his home town to encroach on roads and hawk on footpaths making Marol an illegal hawkers paradise and converting them into his vote bank A big nuisanceFarhad Tarapore farhad_taraporeObviously They are never audited by ED for the flats and bungalows they own