P North (Malad) may get 2 administrative wards: BMC

People walk past an under-construction skywalk on Daftary Road, Malad East. Civic officials said the bifurcation will help residents’ avail civic services easily. File Pic/Satej Shinde

The civic administration has proposed to bifurcate P North ward (Malad) along with K East and L wards that are most populous in Mumbai. With these divisions, the city's wards will increase to 27 from 24 in the next few months.

The BMC has been planning to split large wards with a huge population for better administration, for which it had appointed a two-member panel of joint municipal commissioners Bharat Marathe and Sunil Dhamne. Civic commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, in his budget speech of 2021-22, said this will provide huge relief to citizens. A provision of Rs 5 crore was made to bifurcate P North ward (Malad east and west).

For citizens' betterment

"Many civic services, like solid waste management, water supply, small road repairs, street lighting, birth and death certificates, nullah cleaning and payment of bills, are managed at the ward levels. Residents of the large wards have to travel far for these services and complaints. The small wards, after bifurcation, will ensure better services," said an official.

As per the proposal sent to the law committee, P North ward will be divided into P East and P West wards. Spread over 46.70 sq km, P North has a population of 9.74 lakh, highest among all wards in the city. It currently has 18 corporators, and after the division, P East will have 10 electoral wards and P West eight. The number of electoral wards may change considering the state government's plan to add nine additional wards in the upcoming BMC polls.

Offices

The existing P North ward office will be assigned to P West, and the plot for P East will be finalised by P North's assistant commissioner and chief engineer of development planning department. The proposal will be tabled in the law committee on Friday.

Simultaneously, the administration discussed the bifurcation of K East and L wards in a group leaders' meeting last week. K East ward includes Andheri, Marol, Jogeshwari and Vile Parle, and L ward comprising Kurla, Chunabhatti, Sakinaka and Chandivali. K East ward has a population of 8.53 lakh and is spread across 16.75 sq km. L ward, which is spread over 15.62 sq km has a population of 9.33 lakh.

According to the proposal, K East ward will be divided into K South and K North. It currently has 15 electoral wards, of which seven will be included in K South and eight in K North. The BMC has identified two locations for setting up a new ward office for K North. For K South, the existing administrative building of K East ward, near Andheri station, will be used.

Similarly, L ward will be divide into L South and L North. Of the total 16 electoral wards, nine will be go to L North and seven to L South. Existing L ward office near railway station, Kurla West, will be used for L South works and L North's office will be developed in the BMC's existing building in Chandivali.