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Rise of Mumbai residents actively using WhatsApp groups to address civic issues
Updated On: 14 May, 2023 10:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Jane Borges
In the two years since the lockdown herded sparring residents into groups, between forwards and good mornings, major mountains have been moved
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Mandeep Singh Makkar and members of the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) have been taking up civil and road issues. Recently, the association demanded a fire engine in the neighbourhood’s empty fire station. Pic/Sameer Markande
It was the spate of thefts during the first lockdown in March 2020 that brought the residents of Khar’s 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th roads together. “Until then, we were so caught up in our own lives, we didn’t even know our next-door neighbour,” confesses Shalini Shome. Almost every other building in the neighbourhood had been burgled. “Most of the thefts took place late at night. Often, the watchmen were victims too; their cash and belongings were stolen,” says Shome.
Fear and helplessness led residents to form a WhatsApp group, Vigilance 6th, 10th, 11th and 12 Roads, which became the eyes and ears of the tiny stretch. As an immediate measure, watchmen were advised to blow their whistles if they sensed something suspicious. “If the whistle lasted longer than usual, it was most likely a theft. This way, everyone was always on high alert,” she says.
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