Welcome to Bandra East.

Bandra East has always been a poor cousin of the swanky Pali Hills and Hill Roads on the western side. Constructed almostentirely on reclaimed marshy land, the suburb displays the co-existence of typical middle and upper middle-class Maharashtrian housing colonies and sprawling slums. As New MIG Colony resident Kunda Nerurkar says wryly: "When we bought our flat from MHADA in 1975, the adjoining open ground was shown as a garden on the plan. There was a mad rush to book the flats closest to it." Today, there is no sign of the open ground or the proposed garden. New MIG Colony overlooks an immense sea of huts and ever-rising pucca structures Behrampada.

The problems here are as diverse as the people who live there. While flat-owners lament over the absence of a playground for children and a park for senior citizens, Behrampada is still to get a basic necessity -- toilets. Informs Behrampada resident Shah M E Ashrafi, "There are over 15,000 huts in Behrampada and just 20 toilets. Modesty demands that residents make their way to the railway maidan across Kanekar Marg to perform their daily ablutions before sunrise. During theday, children use the maidan for the same purpose."

The huts are so closely packed that people can walk only in single file. A maze of electric wires overhead and adjoining water pipes could spark off a short circuit at any moment. This, when a single storey 10 feet by 10 feet hut in the area costs Rs 50,000, a double storey can be bought for Rs 1 lakh and a three-storey establishment for Rs 1.5 lakh! The conditions are no different in other slums like Shastri Nagar and Pathar Nagar.

On the other side of Bandra (E), residents are fuming against the unauthorised food stalls mushrooming at every 10 feet. A roti-making enterprise, coconut vendors who dump the shells in the gutters, vada-pav and Chinese food stalls have never had it so good. Sahitya Sahwas resident Vasanti Phadke is filled with dread at the thought of the forthcoming elections. "During the last elections, a political party set up its office outside the MHADA building. Instead of demolishing the structure after the elections, it was convertedinto a food stall. Now, the owner has expanded his enterprise by setting up chairs and tables right on the road. He has got to have political backing" says Phadke. Both corporators Zagade and Sawant vehemently deny this charge.

Also encroaching into the residential area, are 10 to 15 illegal garages. These operate in sheds and ground floor flats in the area. Over a 100 cars and scooters under repair are parked on the roads. As a result, the area is caked with soot and oil. Zagade says he plans to "haul up the licensing department soon regarding this problem." Reasons an MIG colony resident M G Nerurkar: "Naturally, the slum-dwellers' civic problems are more acute, but the needs of flat-owners are bound to be different. But one issue that does not discriminate is the severe problem of water logging during the monsoons." Nearly two to three feet of water accumulates in the area during heavy rain. Sahitya Sahwas resident G A Bhatt explains that the problem has intensified since the Bandra -Kurla complex roadwas constructed in 1990. "B K road is on a higher level, so all the water flows into the Kalanagar area.

Besides, all the natural outlets through which water used to flow into the Khadi, have been blocked now"says Bhatt. Nerurkar points out to the choked gutters, which are rarely cleaned.

Corporator Prakash Sawant explains that the khadi next to the Government Colony has disappeared as Sant Dnyaneshwar slums have come up over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, corporator Virendra Zagade alleges that the residents have had the gutters closed to overcome the mosquito menace. This accentuates the problem of water logging. Passing the buck continues, but the Mumbai rains and the accompanying nightmare is barely a month away. Some problems it seems, just cannot be washed away.

Who will bell the cat?
Housing celebrities like universal hero Sachin Tendulkar and a galaxy of Marathi litterateurs, the star value of Bandra (E) is no doubt very high. But the dramatic entrance to Shiv Sena Chief BalasahebThackeray's bungalow in Kalanagar somewhat pales the existence of the other stars. At any given point of time, nearly 75 security personnel maintain vigil at strategic locations in and around Matoshree. A tin shed and a concrete toilet-cum-bathroom have been constructed on Kalanagar main road for the benefit of Mr Thackeray's security personnel. Apart from a number of roving police vans, one police van is a permanent fixture. With punctured tyres, rooting the vehicle to the ground, it is used as a "rest room" by policemen.

Residents do offer their sympathies to these policemen working round the clock in three shifts but one question haunts them: "Why should the security arrangements for one person encroach upon a public road?" And with no drainage facilities, imagine the filth generated as these policemen even wash their clothes on the road! But as corporator Virendra Zagade says: "We know that the shed and toilet block are illegal. But they are temporary. I will ensure that they it doesn't get convertedinto a pucca structure. After all, these policemen are human beings as well. We have to do something for them. Besides, who can question Balasaheb?" Being unaware of the `stationary police van', Zagade has promised to look into the matter.

And while security arrangements for Balasaheb continue to be a sensitive issue, residents sorely miss the absence of a police chowky. The chowky was removed following an instance of discontent during the 1992 riots. Zagde agrees that a police station is needed, but with so many security personnel already in the area two more constables seem like a waste of human resources.

On the pretext of road repairs, the Kalanagar bus stop was shifted from the Kalanagar main gate to an adjoining lane a year ago. The road has been repaired, but the bus stop continues to be in the isolated lane. Women commuters claim that using this bus stop is dangerous, especially early in the morning or late at night. "When the bus stop was at the Kalanagar entrance, there was always some movementwith cops around. Now, I'm scared catching the 6 a.m. bus," says a nurse living in the area. According to Zagade, a suggestion to this effect has been made to the BEST, but due to the scrapping of the Mayor-in-Council all such proposals have been delayed.

"While Mr Thackeray's security arrangements are a nuisance, there are also some positive points points in being their neighbours as the Shiv Sainiks help in times of need. We have a lot of theatre personalities visiting us and some of them do take offense if the security personnel are rude with them," rues Kalanagar resident Lalita Kenkre. "Once while my daughter-in-law was returning from a journey, these policemen at the Kalanagar gate asked her to get off from the taxi and walk the rest of the way. She told them she wouldn't mind as long as they arranged for her luggage to be sent in. They flatly refused and we had to go and intervene," reveals Damu Kenkre.

Pointers
The road behind the MIG cricket club ground is being used as a public toiletby the residents of Shastri Nagar. While plague in Surat a few years ago prompted the residents of Shastri Nagar to put up of signboards urging people to maintain cleanliness, the filth on the road continues to pile up.

While the MMRDA just made place for hawker's stalls on BK Road, vendors have now started using these as their houses -- they cook, wash and sleep her on the road. This when there's no provision for sanitation facilities. As a result, the road has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Residents allege that branches of trees lining the road have been down and for firewood. "The remnants of these chopped branches are strewn on the road making it impossible to walk," complains MIG colony resident G G Soman. While Zagade maintains that only termite-ridden trees have been chopped off, corporator Prakash Sawant claims that the BMC has cut down these branches as a pre-monsoon precaution.

MiG Colony resident S D Supnekar points out to a number of abandoned trucks lining the road. He explainsthat these non-functional vehicles have been left there to rot by their owners. They are now filled with garbage and house stray cats and dogs. Zagade admits that not only are these trucks an eyesore, they could encourage illegal activities as well. He has promised to have them towed away.

Dr P.P. Jamkhedkar highlights the problem of taxis and rickshaws parked overnight in the area around Gurunanak Hospital. "With so many taxi and rickshaw owners living in Shastri Nagar, you can witness mass washing of these vehicles every morning. Imagine the dirty water that accumulates after that," he complains. "With every owner believing that his vehicle should be spic and span before he begins the day, there is nothing I can do," says Zagade, throwing up his hands in despair.

Since the bomb blasts, MHADA has prohibited car parking in its premises. Similarly, the MIG Club has no parking lot of its own. As a result, visitors to both the places have no option but to park on the main road and lanes of MIG colony."There are scores of guests attending the functions at MIG club. With nearly 100 cars parked in our colony, you have their drivers loitering around for hours together. This has led to a sharp increase in eve-teasing incidents," complains Sharayu Lele, an MIG colony resident.

Sahitya Sahwas resident Y D Phadke laments over the absence of footpaths in Bandra (E). "There is no traffic policeman or a zebra crossing near the `317' bus stop. Crossing the road has become dangerous," he says.

"Gone are the days of erratic garbage collection. A BMC van collects trash at 4 p.m. every day," says Artek building resident Anjali Risbud. "Our homes are cleaned by 9 a.m. and the trash is deposited in the morning itself. Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., rag pickers rummage through the bins, strewing what they don't want on to the roads. This attracts stray dogs and pigs dirtying the entire area," explains MIG resident Neela Soman. Zagade, however, insists that garbage is collected three times a day at 10 in the morning, 3p.m. and 6 p.m.

"The road along the Bhavishya Nidhi Bhavan (provident fund office) has nullahs choked with plastic bags," rues MIG Colony resident Kishore Hattangady.