MULUND COLONY’S TRAUMA: STONE-PELTING & POWER CUTS!!
Mulund Colony in Mulund West is a premium location in Mulund with skyscrapers and a top International School to boast. The property rates in this area are a whopping above Rs. 20,000/- per square foot (on an average)!! Despite such escalating property prices, the people living in this region are facing multiple problems including terror by goons who pelt stones at their houses and open MSEDCL cable wires causing power cuts daily! In addition, poor roads and filthy gutter water over-flowing on the roads mock the so-called title of ‘Prince of Suburbs’ for Mulund!!!
People living in the vicinity of Sri Guru Nanak Sachkhand Darbar Dharamsheel Community Hall in Mulund Colony are the worst affected. Narrating their pathetic ordeals, Mala Dhara, a local lady living close to Sri Guru Nanak Sachkhand Darbar Marg slum (near the water pipeline), told Home Times, “During rehabilitation, a safety wall was made for the security of the slum- dwellers. However, the wall work which started with enthusiasm was later left incomplete. Now, the place has become a den of anti-social elements who make merry at night, consuming liquor and gambling.” Lamenting her woes, she said, “Earlier, the ladies of this area used to spend a pleasant time talking to each other at night from 10pm till mid-night. We had no fear. However, ever, since the incomplete safety wall has been erected, it has become a den of goons. Our security is threatened and if complain to the police, the goons pelt stones and liquor bottles at our houses!! Life has become miserable.” “We have made several complaints to the police but, alas, the police take no action! Thus, people in the area are living under fear and many are planning to shift elsewhere due to the inaction of the police and its inability to protect the residents,” she sobbed.
Residents of the area complained to Home Times that for the past two months they have been facing umpteen problems. The road work in the area is being done at a snail’s speed, water pipeline and electric cables are lying open. As a result, residents are facing constant power cuts and shortage of water in the sweltering summer heat.
Due to the slow progress of the road work residents, particularly senior citizens and the disabled, are risking their life and limb walking on this road. In fact, a few days back, a senior citizen lady stumbled on the road. She suffered major injuries to her face. The area, which has a population of over 400 is thus burdened under a mountain of problems.
Senior citizen Arvind Parmar, a local resident lamenting the woes of the locality, told Home Times, “The BMC had started the road work in the month of March but, due to the Model Code of Conduct, the work was stopped. Though the work has now started, it is being done at a snail’s pace, causing immense problems to senior citizens. The haphazard road has become a nightmare for senior citizens. The situation is worse for the disabled people as they have to be either picked up in arms or use a wheelchair to cross the road.”
Complaining further at the poor infrastructure in the region Parmar moaned, “Due to the slow speed of the road work, the gutter water is being accumulated on the road and this has led to a sludge-like situation. Walking over the dirty water is not only dangerous to health as it is an open invitation to diseases, but it is also unsafe to walk as chances of stumbling and breaking our bones are great.” “What is most horrendous is that in the scorching summer heat people have to face constant power cuts as there are frequent short-circuits in the open cable wires,” rued Parmar.
Prem Dhara, another resident, told Home Times, “Before the start of the road work, we had requested the MSEDCL officers to install new meter boxes. Though new meter boxes were installed, but the work done was incomplete. The MSEDCL officers did not connect the wires. When we insisted to connect the wires, the officers initially tried to dump their duty on the residents. They asked the residents to get them connected at their own expense. However, when the residents raised a protest, the officers assured to connect, but since then they are just delaying and not taking their job seriously.” “Due to this delay, the residents daily face 2 hours of power cut!” grieved Prem.
