Mumbai: As Mumbai gears up for the parliamentary elections, various residents associations and social organisations from across the city have been releasing citizens' charters.
'Mumbai March' also released its citizens' demand list calling for the implementation of development plans for roads and turning Mumbai into a zero-slum city. 'Mumbai March', a people’s movement, consisting of engineers, architects, management consultants, professionals, and citizens, has been working in the fields of environment and infrastructure in the city.
Demands Listed Out In Mumbai March's Citizen's Demand List
Mumbai March's Citizen’s Demand List is a manifesto for all the candidates contesting from the six constituencies of Mumbai. The list highlights several issues like rejuvenation of rivers and their tributaries along with other water bodies, the implementation of compulsory rainwater harvesting in every society to prevent water scarcity in the future, and to stop the desalination of plants in the city.
The manifesto also demanded each candidate to promise to save mangroves, forests, and salt pans, and declaration of the existing balance of Aarey land to be handed over to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park along with resettlement of the Adivasi community in the national park. It demanded extra efforts and new norms for light and noise pollution in the city along with planting indigenous trees across the city.
It also asked the candidates to promise to save hills in Charkop, Dindoshi, and Jagruti Nagar along with forts, caves, and other heritage structures, bring provision for open lands in each constituency, and work for an animal bypass on Ghodbunder road and Thane highway.
“Mumbai is paying a total of 25 percent of our country’s income tax, 28 percent of railway revenue, and contributing to 6.14 percent of the total GDP. Even after working for 13.5 hours daily, the highest in the country, none of the demands of the citizens of Mumbai in terms of traffic congestion, slum rehabilitation, and citizens losing their lives in crowded local trains have been looked into,” said the manifesto.
The list also includes infrastructure demands like the implementation of development plans, upgrading traffic infrastructure, removing illegal encroachments on footpaths, automatic doors in all the trains and same fare for AC and non-AC trains. Another major part of the manifesto demands a zero slum Mumbai, with rehabilitation of people living in airport land and forest land.
Suggestion To Implement The Singapore Housing Model
Mumbai March has suggested the implementation of the Singapore Housing Model instead of the proposed SRA by private builders.
East Indian Community lists out the community’s demands. The East Indian community living in the city also released its manifesto prior to the parliamentary elections.
The memorandum ‘Mumbai Bhumiputra Policy’ demands the rights of indigenous people over the 'Gaothans' they live in. The memorandum demands a special housing scheme for the community, a special quota in MHADA projects, compensation against the community land taken away, and tax benefits for property and electricity.
Apart from job and business opportunities for the community members, the memorandum also demands the government to promote their culture, history, religious tradition, language, tourism, and 'gaothans'.
