Mumbai: Even as reports show a remarkable 94 per cent attendance in Parliament, citizens claim that they haven’t seen Rahul Shewale, the sitting Member of Parliament from the South Central Mumbai constituency, in a long time. He visited various places in the constituency during the 2014 polls but after that he has vanished, complain a majority the citizens. It appears as if trouble is brewing for Shewale who is looking for a second term from the constituency on the BJP-Shiv Sena ticket.
Most of the citizens have alleged Shewale is not approachable or accessible. “I had seen him in our colony during the 2014 general polls. I still remember, he visited our colony twice, seeking votes. And after winning, he has simply vanished,” said Raj Kumar, a resident of Chembur. “
He is not accessible, majority of times and whenever I have made an attempt to interact with him, I am told that Shewale is not in Mumbai,” Kumar added. There is also some anti-incumbency factor in the constituency, which can go against Shewale and at the same time prove to be a boon for his counterpart, Eknath Gaikwad, the candidate from Congress Party.
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“He has made big claims but little can be seen on the ground. He has done nothing for the residents of Mahul, where people are dying on a daily basis due to pollution. Apart from this, he is an ally of the BJP, which has been fooling us from last year. Thus, I doubt if he (Shewale) can come back,” said a resident of Mahul, who did not wish to be named.
Apart from his ‘absenteeism’ in his constituency, there are a lot of other issues, which these citizens and voters want their new MP to address at the earliest. The major issue in Shewale’s constituency is the ‘safety and security’ of women. “Women safety is a big issue especially near Mandala and Punjabwadi areas near Trombay. Several goons, usually drug addicts roam freely in the areas and misbehave with women,” said Sunil Kandera, a resident of BARC colony.
Similar was the opinion of Krithika Acharya from Chembur, who said, “The main problem that we face in our area is the street lights as most of the times it is dark. There are many women who return home from the office, late night and on dark streets, it is difficult to walk, it feels unsafe.”
The constituency which includes Chembur, Dharavi, Mahim, Wadala Anushakti Nagar, Trombay and nearby areas, require a major revamp in terms of infrastructure. “There are many old buildings in very bad condition, they can fall anytime,” Acharya pointed out.
Giving a more clear picture on the infrastructure at Mahim, advocate Ashraf Shaikh said, “Infrastructure of this area needs to be improved, better roads, footpaths, playgrounds, open spaces, coastal zone and environmental protection and sustainable development must be carried out.” “As far as Dharavi is concerned is the Dharavi Redevelopment and rehabilitation project should be undertaken as soon as possible with all the amenities under the slum Act,” Shaikh added.
Trombay can be said, needs more focus not only in terms of infrastructure but also for law and order. “The entire area is too much congested. Hardly one can walk properly on the public roads as it is always crowded. Also, houses here are a big issue. Slum redevelopment must be initiated here at the earliest,” said Vrushali Chavan, a resident of Trombay.
“A major problem here in Trombay and nearby areas is of law and order. Even a small debate turns into a huge fight and there is always a threat of the riot-like situation in this area. Thus, something must be done so that miscreants are deterred,” Chavan added. Adding to the woes of the residents of South Central Mumbai is the ongoing Metro construction work.
