Demolished Bandra slum is back within a fortnight Residents Say Shanties Prove Politics Of Vote Bank

The BMC demolished around 300 illegal shanties near Bandra Reclamation last month, on the order of the chief minister, but they have been rebuilt within two weeks. The slum is behind Nargis Dutt Nagar and the flyover that connects the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Western Express Highway. The people who live there are mainly migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, and also from within the city.      Bandra residents believe the creation of the slum is a major attempt by politicians to build a vote bank, keeping in view the 2014 assembly elections. The plot the slum occupies belongs to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), which sublet it to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for ancillary activities pertaining to the construction of the flyover.      "Migrants are pouring into the city almost daily. The truth of this slum is simple. Elections are near and the slum's occupants will serve as a vote bank; 100% of the slum's vote will be for politicians who shut their eyes to the building of illegal shanties," said Anil Joseph, chairperson of the Perry Road Residents' Association.      Residents said that in the past, politicians have made voting arrangements by issuing fake photo passes and ration cards to slum-dwellers and then approving slum rehabilitation schemes.      "In 1994, Nargis Dutt Nagar started with 40 shanties, which used to be demolished by the BMC every now and then. But now the extent of this slum is unimaginable: it extends from the Bandra fire station right up to Rangsharda Hotel (near Lilavati Hospital)," said Joseph.      "The slum is not limited to a horizontal spread. Many of its constructions are multistoreyed. In 2006, a mysterious fire broke out in the slum," he said. "It gutted many huts, but there was no loss of life! Immediately after, a scheme under the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY; see box for detail) was implemented in the gutted area and pucca houses were built."      Joseph said the MSRDC was going to put a retaining wall with barbed wires to protect its property and stop further encroachment. "We will be taking up the issue with the chief minister. MLC Ashish Shelar has spoken to the MSRDC for the construction of the wire wall. But proper fencing would need funding," said Anandini Thakoor, chairperson, H-West Federation.  A SCOURGE REFUSES TO GO AWAY BANDRA      In 1994, Nargis Dutt Nagar in Bandra Reclamation started with 40 shanties, which would be demolished by the BMC from time to time      But the slum prevailed over the BMC's efforts. Today, it extends from the Bandra fire station to Rangsharda Hotel near Lilavati Hospital      In 2006, a mysterious fire gutted many huts, but there was no loss of life. Afterwards, a project under the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY; a centrally sponsored scheme for the benefit of slum dwellers) was implemented in the area      In the first week of December 2012, a new slum with 300 shanties cropped up behind Nargis Dutt Nagar and the flyover that connects the Bandra Worli Sea Link and the Western Express Highway      On December 22, the BMC razed the slum      On January 7, 2013, 100 shanties reappeared at the same spot      Bandra residents believe local politicians are encouraging illegal migrants from Bangladesh, and migrants from Nepal and those settled in the city to shift to Nargis Dutt Nagar so that they are able to create a vote bank for the 2014 assembly elections. Residents say the slum also harbours criminals  Times View: Act against slums before it's too late      Apolitician's hunger for votes is almost always the reason behind a new slum cropping up. This is abetted by a section of corrupt officials, who choose to look away from the problem till a settlement grows so huge that it cannot be demolished. The seafront is an ecologically sensitive area and the decimation of mangroves for housing slums can have a severely negative, long-term effect on the entire city. The BMC must act fast as soon as a slum takes shape rather than wait for citizens to raise the issue. There must be punitive action on wardlevel officials who allow the problem to fester; and citizens should identify politicians encouraging these illegal settlements and factor this issue in when they vote.