TMC Apathy Reason For Poor Infrastructure Across City Slums

10 December, 2018

Thane: The “indifference” of the municipal corporation towards upgrading the basic infrastructure in the three slum settlements of Thane, which were recently given a facelift by an NGO, has been blamed for failing to bring about a desirable change in the neighbourhood.

The voluntary group who took the lead in painting the drab-looking 4,000-odd tenements in the lake city has put the onus on the civic authority for the status quo in slums here. Interestingly, the office-bearers of the NGO claimed that a similar project in Mumbai has met with success and that the change is evident not just in appearance but also in infrastructure of the slums in Asalpha and Bandra, attributing it to the pro-active behaviour of the BMC officials.

“We have conducted similar painting exercises in 63 areas across Mumbai and Thane. The aim is not to just paint the walls of these hutments, but also to gradually bring about a change in the mindset of the occupants in regards to cleanliness, education and more,” said Shekhar Khanna, the co-ordinator of the NGO.

He added that the civic bureaucracy in the BMC is pro-active to the needs of the slumdwellers. However, the same cannot be said about Thane as residents continue to face inadequate water supply, clogged toilets, bad roads and more.

“Since we have our limitations, we are not able to visit every shanty and discuss their issues at length. Many times we get calls from people who are facing problems in getting water and access to toilets. Residents prefer contacting us than the TMC officials. This is because may be they think that these issues won’t be solved by the TMC,’’ Khanna said.

“ Next week we will be conducting a three-week cleanliness drive in Parsik Nagar wherein we will teach the residents the importance of maintaining personal hygiene and sanitation,” added Khanna.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com