Nawab Malik: Mankhurd lacks medical infrastructure, will be my first priority

Nawab Malik, NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate

The Mankhurd Shivajinagar constituency, a traditional Samajwadi Party (SP) stronghold, will see three-time MLA Abu Asim Azmi face-off against the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) candidate Nawab Malik, a former Anushakti Nagar MLA who has held multiple positions in the state Assembly. This election will serve as a major test for Malik, who recently joined the Ajit Pawar faction. In the 2019 election, Azmi won this seat by defeating Vitthal Govind Lokre of the undivided Shiv Sena.

Voter demographics

The constituency represents a cross-section of society, with the majority of the population residing in slums and a few SRA buildings. It comprises Marathi-speakers, Muslims, Dalits and a mix of economic classes. Azmi claims the SP has a vote base of 65,000 to 70,000 in Mankhurd Shivajinagar. "This has traditionally been a Samajwadi Party stronghold. The people need a candidate who has been working with them for years and knows the issues of people here," he said.

Shivaji Nagar in Govandi West, where the majority of the population resides in slums and SRA buildings

Meanwhile, Malik boasts that nearly 60 per cent of the constituency supports him and wants him to come to power. "I have been meeting people here and have come to know that the people need a new person in the constituency to resolve the issues," he said. When mid-day met the rivals separately, both appeared to share common ground regarding the constituency's key issues, expressing similar concerns about rampant drug abuse, increasing quality of life and major civic issues.

Nawab Malik, NCP (Ajit Pawar)

What is your stance on redevelopment projects, especially Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) schemes? Given concerns about vertical slums emerging from this policy, do you think the scheme should be reformed, paused, or replaced? If so, what alternatives would you suggest?
SRA schemes are meant to improve slum dwellers' quality of life. They are proving to be beneficial for multiple individuals and families. Moving from a slum to a building is a major move for such individuals and what I feel is that apart from just shifting these people to buildings, counselling should also be provided to make sure that they adapt to the new lifestyle and not have the same mentality.

Another issue is the availability of medical infrastructure in the constituency. One has to rush to either Shatabdi or Rajawadi hospital for proper medical care. This is one of the major criteria on my agenda.

What plans do you have to improve road quality and pedestrian footpaths? How will you address last-mile connectivity challenges to ensure ease of access for residents? Are you aware of any high-risk areas and what immediate steps will you take to fix them?
Traffic is a key issue. During peak hours, if one tries to go towards Bandra or Andheri or come here from those locations, it is a big headache. There are multiple missing links in the locality and the planned construction of a few road connections will improve accessibility. This also comes with the immediate issue of the slums occupying the stretches where the roads need to be constructed to improve connectivity.

Public transport services are vital to city's mobility. What measures would you advocate for to improve their efficiency, reach and accessibility for all citizens?
The accessibility around railway stations is inadequate. In today's tech-savvy world, it's unacceptable that it's challenging to walk straight on a road for five minutes. I aim to change this. Basic changes like pedestrian-friendly roads near stations are quick fixes but require strong willpower. This has been missing so far, I feel. The two railway stations in the locality, Govandi and Mankhurd, are also in very bad condition. These stations are not even visible, unlike other railway stations on the western and central lines, due to slums.

I have proposed a development plan for both stations. The proposals are in the final stage and will be agreed upon soon. Slum dwellers outside these stations also need to be rehabilitated as these are the ones making the stations almost invisible.

Drug abuse is one of the most prevalent issues. What measures do you recommend to tackle the menace?
The majority of the households are plagued by drug abuse in the locality. There are multiple reasons for this and finding out the core causes and tackling them are as important as looking at the immediate issue of drug abuse and the lives affected by it.

The majority of the youth is plagued by this issue. One of the reasons for this is the issue of job availability. The youth is turning towards drugs as they do not have a proper way to channel their energy in the right direction. The education infrastructure in the locality plays a huge role in raising awareness about drug abuse.

Are there specific initiatives you would focus on to boost employment, especially for youth and marginalised groups?
Job creation and unemployment are pressing issues as described earlier. I plan to start multiple skill centres to make sure the youth get hands-on experience and obtain the skills required in order to secure a job.