'LIVING IN GAVTEWADI IS NOT A CURSE, IT'S A SIN'

Gavtevadi is one of the the most backward places in Navi mumbai. The conditions here make it feel like a jail instead of ward, where thousands of people are forced to live in sub-human conditions. It remains a shamefully neglected area of the city.

This place a population of thousands, but there is only one toilet. As a result people have to wait in line for hours. The water pipe lines run through gutters. The mixing of two waters can put people's lives danger. In a population of thousands only one water tab is there but in that also the water comes in such a low force , people have to wait for hours. Debris and garbage is everywhere. 

In today's 21st century, the people of Navi Mumbai city have to walk in the light of mobile phones because there is no electricityin this area. Girls and women fear for their safety. The ward is surrounded by the walls of a company making people feel like they are living in jail. The roads are too small for people for even walk.

It must be noted that, Dhurubai Bijle has worked as corprator in this ward for 5 years, but when I asked people if they have seen their corprators, they gave some shocking replies. They angrily that when elections were their Dhurubai Bijle came to ask for their votes, but after the election she never came here.

The constituents also complain that when somebody dies and we go and ask them to give the death certificate they would always have same answer: Madam has gone to her native place We don’t have any.

The condition and the problems of the people of this area are so severe that the NCP rebel Mukhtaar Ansari compaired Gavtevadi to jail.

It must also be noted that the corprator ward Dhurubai Bijle is the same person who had beaten former corporator Bharat Nakhate with her sandal. After looking at the problems of gavtevadi people are saying, that living here is not a curse it’s a sin.

Congress' Waghmare a failure for Turbhe - Indira Nagar

Turbhe - Indira Nagar is one of the most populated areas of Navi Mumbai. Most of the people living here belong to economically weaker section of the society. Congress’s Ramasheth Waghmare was elected as the counselor for Turbhe – Indira Nagar’s Ward No. 61 in 2010. The constituency is now designated as Ward No. 73.

Talk to residents here and they will give you a long list of grievances: Overflowing open gutters, streetlights not working properly, hard-to-get drinking water, mountains of filth, sorry state of public toilets, poorly maintained community centre, corporation school in urgent need for repair, naked overhead wires posing a threat to people’s lives, lack of dust-bins, gardens converted to plain grounds. Residents are tired of filing complaint after complaint. They all are genuinely disappointed.

Ramasheth Waghmare’s five year tenure in corporation house was completely lackluster. He never was aggressive in house even on the issues of his ward. The constituency largely consists of slum areas of Ambedkar Nagar, Ganesh Nagar and Indira Nagar. Ramasheth got an opportunity to represent this ward when it was reserved for Shedule Castes in 2010. Despite lacking any experience in politics, Waghmare became a candidate, thanks to the local leadership of Congress.

Waghmare struck a chord with slum-dwellers and eventually won the poll. He made huge promises during elections, but now residents fault him for not acting on them.
The biggest problem for the women living in this area is toilets. They complain that there aren’t enough public toilets in the ward.

Lack of cleanliness is another major problem here. Residents complained of overflowing gutters, unhygienic environment and health issues arising out of it.

The most severe problem here is of overhead wires. None of them are insulated. The electric poles are required to be supported by wood and bamboos. All this is a recipe for a great disaster.

The residents are putting the blame of all these issues squarely on Ramasheth Waghmare. They allege that, once elected, he didn’t take any efforts to know the problems of his constituents.

Waghmare has now switched to Shiv Sena from Congress and the ward has been reserved for women. He is planning to make her daughter contest elections. But he doesn’t have anything to show but a survey wall and a flyover bridge at Turbhe Naka. The outlook is discouraging for Ramasheth Waghmare.