Mumbai, Dec 27: Known as the heart of Mumbai’s mill culture, the F/South ward—covering Parel, Lalbaug and Sewri, and parts of Dadar East—embodies a strong Marathi working-class identity. Even as mills and chawls give way to high-rises and corporate offices, chronic civic issues persist.
Annual waterlogging at Hindmata, ageing chawls awaiting redevelopment, encroached footpaths, acute parking shortages and traffic congestion continue to disrupt daily life for residents.
Hindmata Flooding Persists Despite Rs 140 Crore Investment
In 2021, the BMC spent around Rs. 140 crore on underground rainwater holding tanks at Dadar East to prevent flooding at Hindmata. Despite this, the problem persists. On August 19 this year, Hindmata and other chronic flooding spots were once again inundated following heavy rainfall.
Older residential areas of Parel—such as the BDD chawls, railway chawls, and the Kohinoor Mills compound—lie in Mumbai’s low-lying central belt, making them especially vulnerable to recurrent waterlogging.
Encroachments Cripple Curry Road And Mahadev Palav Marg
Mahadev Palav Marg near Curry Road railway station has been encroached by illegal hawkers, turning a narrow residential lane into a daily nightmare for residents. Unauthorised garages, cobblers, food stalls, and fish vendors operate openly, choking traffic and paralysing pedestrian movement.
Migrant fish sellers squat on the road, creating filth, stench, and mosquito breeding grounds, posing serious health risks. Even the British-era subway near Curry Road station has not been spared from encroachment, reflecting a blatant failure of civic enforcement and utter disregard for residents and commuters alike.
Medical Hub Status Adds To Congestion And Hygiene Issues
Rapid high-rise development and the concentration of corporate offices in Parel and Lalbaug have drastically increased footfall and vehicular load in these areas. With major hospitals such as KEM, Wadia, Tata and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Parel, the area has become a medical hub drawing patients from across the state.
The lack of accommodation for patients’ relatives has resulted in footpath encroachments, roadside cooking and indiscriminate waste disposal. Coupled with overcrowded markets, unchecked hawker proliferation and an acute shortage of public parking, these failures have pushed traffic congestion, pedestrian hardship and unhygienic conditions.
Elphinstone Bridge Redevelopment Adds To Traffic Chaos
The redevelopment of Elphinstone Bridge has increased traffic congestion at the Curry Road signal during office hours. However, the illegal stalls on the route leading towards Curry Road station are further aggravating the situation, causing difficulties not only for residents but also for office-goers commuting to and from work.
Residents Voice Frustration Over Civic Apathy
“Traffic-free roads, an encroachment-free footpath to walk on, and clean air are the only things we, as residents, demand. But year after year, the story has been the same. At night, the roads are packed with hawkers who even cook on the road with their big shegdis, leaving people with no place to walk. There have been several incidents where pedestrians have been affected,” said Shashank Kadam, a resident of Kondaji Chawl in Parel.
Delisle Road Bridge Draws Criticism From Senior Citizens
“The BMC took five years to reconstruct the Delisle Road Bridge at Lower Parel, yet the new bridge is narrower than before and the footpath has been closed, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. The bridge also lacks proper connectivity to Curry Road railway station, forcing commuters to take longer routes. This has especially affected senior citizens, as the station has increased crowding but no basic facilities like lifts or escalators. Climbing high staircases daily is very difficult for elderly commuters,” said Madhavi Berde, a senior citizen from Delisle Road.
Political Representation And Pending Rehabilitation Issues
There are seven electoral wards, numbered 200 to 206, under the jurisdiction of F/South ward. Six seats are held by corporators from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), while one seat was won by Congress candidate Supriya More in the 2017 civic election; she has now joined the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena. The ward falls under the Mumbai South parliamentary constituency, represented by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant.
Also Watch:
Call For Faster Rehabilitation And Infrastructure Upgrades
Sachin Padwal, former corporator and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Ward No. 206, said, “The residents affected in Hanuman Nagar and Ekatmata Nagar need to be rehabilitated to make way for three pillars required for the expansion of the Atal Setu at the Sewri end. Although homes have been allotted to them in a Wadala SRA project, the rehabilitation process needs to be expedited. Additionally, rising pollution levels and the urgent need for stormwater drains and sewer lines in the Mumbai Port Trust area must be prioritised.”
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
.webp)
