Mumbai, Dec 26: Among the 26 civic administration wards in Mumbai, the E ward is among those with extremes. The ward has one of the highest numbers of public and private health facilities, some iconic structures and locations, and is historically known for its underworld activities and red-light area. BMC’s E ward consists of areas of Byculla, Mazgaon, Mumbai Central, Chinchpokli, Agripada, Nagpada and Kamathipura.
The ward also houses Mazgaon Dock, two railway stations with heritage structures—Reay Road and Dockyard Road—and Mumbai’s only zoo, the BMC-run Veermata Jijabai Botanical Garden, popularly called Byculla zoo or Rani Baug.
It also houses major public hospitals like J J Hospital and Grant Medical College, BYL Nair Hospital and Medical College, Kasturba Hospital, and private hospitals like Wockhardt, Masina and Head & Neck Cancer Hospital, among others.
However, in the last couple of years, the ward has been in the news for reasons such as poor air quality, narrowing roads due to new projects, and incomplete bridges like the Y Bridge, Hancock Bridge—a crucial east-west connector—and Belasis Bridge, among others.
E Ward Battles Pollution, Infrastructure Delays and Civic Apathy Amid Historic Significance | Photo Credits: Salman Ansari
Citizens speak on civic issues:
Similar to last year, this year too, among the areas in Mumbai that recorded the poorest air quality index (AQI) were Byculla and Mazgaon. This winter, Mazgaon’s AQI crossed 300, forcing the BMC to implement the Graded Response Action Plan.
Officials stopped civic water project work, identified a polluting bakery running illegally at night, started deep cleaning and road washing, and took other actions to control AQI. The ward has one of the highest numbers of bakeries in the city.
“It is not only bakeries that add to the pollution, but excessive construction work, which hardly follows any air pollution control norms. Roads are dug up and debris and dust are left roadside, which is not picked up every day. Additionally, there are many unauthorised constructions underway. This adds to the pollution levels. Encroachments on the roads, new projects and existing incomplete bridge projects have added to traffic woes,” said Kamlakar Shenoy, an activist.
“Every road in Byculla has some or the other construction going on. The work on the new cable-stayed bridge has been going on for years, and due to one of its pillars, the traffic police have closed down a U-turn, because of which every morning parents take their children to school on two-wheelers, covering a longer distance. All vehicles need to take a long route, adding to residents’ woes,” said P. Kharade, a resident of Byculla.
E Ward Battles Pollution, Infrastructure Delays and Civic Apathy Amid Historic Significance | Photo Credits: Salman Ansari
Political representation:
BMC’s E ward has seven corporators and has traditionally been dominated by the Congress and the undivided Shiv Sena. In the last BMC elections held in 2017, the elected corporators were Congress’ Javed Juneja and Sonam Manoj Jamsutkar, undivided Shiv Sena’s Ramakant Rahate and Yashwant Jadhav—the last standing committee chairman. The other three were Arun Gawali’s daughter Geeta Gawali, Samajwadi Party’s Rais Shaikh and BJP’s Surekha Lokhande.
The ward falls in the Byculla Assembly constituency, and in the 2024 polls, the seat saw an intense fight between the two Shiv Senas. Sitting MLA Yamini Yashwant Jadhav from Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) lost to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Manoj Jamsutkar, who was earlier with the Congress. Part of the ward also falls under four-term Congress MLA Amin Patel.
The ward falls under the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, represented by three-term MP Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena (UBT).
MLA Jamsutkar said, “There is complete apathy of the BMC towards addressing several issues. The approach to the Hancock Bridge has been delayed, while for the cable-stayed bridge, MahaRail is still waiting for payment from the BMC for the additional work done. Some project-affected people of Ekta Nagar are yet to be rehabilitated. There is also a need to build a pedestrian connector from the Hancock Bridge to Sandhurst Road railway station. Several deaths are reported every year on the rail tracks at this location, as commuters risk their lives to save 15–20 minutes of walking.”
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The MLA also stated that at several locations in Byculla and Mandanpura, the illegal sale of drugs is rampant. “The police have turned a blind eye to illicit drugs. The authorities are aware of the hotspots, but no action is taken. Additionally, contractors for private buildings continue work late at night, and most do not follow basic rules set by the building proposal department. This adds to noise and air pollution.”
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