Mumbai’s East Ward Exposes Stark Divides Between Wealth and Neglect
H East Ward in Mumbai stands as a study in stark contrasts. On one side lies the sleek, high-rise business hub of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), a symbol of the city’s global ambitions. On the other, sprawling slums and neglected neighbourhoods grapple with basic civic failures. Residents now demand urgent action on traffic, pollution, and crumbling infrastructure ahead of upcoming elections.
The ward covers Bandra East, Khar East, and parts of Santacruz East, blending extremes of wealth and deprivation. BKC hosts luxury offices, foreign consulates, and a high-end mall, showcasing Mumbai’s economic prowess. Yet nearly 60-70% of the ward’s population lives in slums, where water shortages, broken roads, and garbage piles persist.
Traffic snarls plague the area, with only two narrow exits linking BKC to the Western Express Highway. During monsoons, flooding worsens as parts of BKC sit on reclaimed land from the narrowed Mithi River. Residents in middle-class colonies like Kalanagar and MIG Colony also face water cuts, as supply often diverts to commercial zones. Law-and-order concerns linger in crowded slum pockets, while unchecked construction adds to air, dust, and noise pollution. Voters are now pushing for long-term fixes, tired of patchwork solutions to drainage failures, encroachments, and civic neglect.
The ward’s future hinges on addressing its deep divides. Traffic bottlenecks, water mismanagement, and environmental decline remain top priorities for residents. Without targeted governance, the gap between BKC’s prosperity and the ward’s struggling neighbourhoods will only widen.
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