Badlapur: The Badlapur city is growing fast due to availability of low-cost budget houses. Construction of new residential projects have given a boost to the real estate sector.
The construction has not only solved the housing problem prevailing in the financial capital, as the comman people, especially the salaried class can own their dream home, but it has also come as a boon for the workforce.
Small and high-cost housing units in Mumbai have compelled the people to move to Badlapur. This has led to a tremendous increase in population over the past several years.
Currently, Badlapur has around 3.5 lakh-strong population. Despite this, the city is governed by short-staffed municipal council, which could govern in case of 60,000-strong population.
Sources revealed, “It is a long pending demand made to the directorate of municipal authority to convert Badlapur Kulgaon Municipal Council into a corporation.
Thus, the budget will be increased. The increased budged will provide the civic amenities to the growing population and improve staff situation and better services.
Currently, the city is tagged under ‘B’-category. But now, the city should fall under the ‘A’-category to be governed by a corporation. An official said, “Since the city is governed and controlled bt the municipal council, it’s staff-strength is just 300, as per the B-category requirement.
Moreover, with little staff and more population in large area, at the time of emergency in deluge-like situation, management becomes difficult.”On Sunday, Badlapur witnessed intermittent heavy rainfall. Some of the areas in Badlapur West, including Hendra Pada, Shani Nagar, Maple City, Sonevali Gaon, were badly-hit.
Prakash Borse, chief officer of Kulgaon Badlapur Municipal Council said, “Due to intermittent showers, the accumulated rainwater could recede. In the Ulhas river, the water level has reached an alarming 19.5 metres, already crossing the danger mark of 17.5 metres.
We are constantly keeping a watch. People residing near the river are being alerted about the possibility of flood and have been asked to shift to safety.”
Due to heavy rainfall on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday between 12am and 5.30am, the situation worsened. The Ulhas river water level also increased.
Borse added, “Our staff remained on toes since morning making announcements in an auto-rickshaw with loudspeakers and alerting the people in the flood-prone areas and requesting the residents to shift to safer places.
Also, the public representatives and corporators were informed through Whatsapp messages of the situation. I circulated a message of deluge that the flood could be more severe than the July 27. 2,000 people shifted;
some living in the ground floor of a building moved to upper floors, While others were given shelters in schools, a club house of an ashram, in government-built vacant houses. The situation is under control, now.”