The rise of Mumbai residents actively using WhatsApp groups to address civic issues

In the two years since the lockdown herded sparring residents into groups, between forwards and good mornings, major mountains have been moved

It was the spate of thefts during the first lockdown in March 2020 that brought the residents of Khar’s 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th roads together. “Until then, we were so caught up in our own lives, we didn’t even know our next-door neighbour,” confesses Shalini Shome. Almost every other building in the neighbourhood had been burgled. “Most of the thefts took place late at night. Often, the watchmen were victims too; their cash and belongings were stolen,” says Shome.

Fear and helplessness led residents to form a WhatsApp group, Vigilance 6th, 10th, 11th and 12 Roads, which became the eyes and ears of the tiny stretch. As an immediate measure, watchmen were advised to blow their whistles if they sensed something suspicious. “If the whistle lasted longer than usual, it was most likely a theft. This way, everyone was always on high alert,” she says.

At some point, another group branched out containing those robbed of a living by the pandemic. It served as the yellow pages of the community, listing 
home businesses.

Dadar Parsi Colony residents Kayomi Engineer (left) and Dilly Dalal say joining the neighbourhood WhatsApp group has made them aware of the work that needs to be done in the area. Pic/Atul Kamble

These groups have since evolved into a strong support network in Khar, so much so that it became a direct line to the then corporator, Alka Kelkar, who is part of the vigilance group. Whether it’s the mending of roads, clearing of garbage, cleaning of gutters, or resolving parking woes, the group has been taking a lead in addressing issues that concern their area. “Once things are up in the group, the corporator escalates the issue immediately, and it is resolved within a few hours,” says Shome.

In Dadar Parsi Colony (DPC), this system has been in place for close to a decade, says its resident Kayomi Engineer. Back in 2015, the residents came together for a signature campaign following the Centre’s decision to implement the Street Vendors Act 2014, which would grant 1,800 hawkers pitch licenses. “Around three or four streets in our locality were earmarked for the pitch licences,” she recalls. A WhatsApp group was formed, with around 40 members. “It became a way of keeping in touch with people, should we need to follow up on the issue.” Engineer adds, “As we progressed, we thought it would be a nice way of bringing the [DPC] community together. More and more people started coming forward, and the numbers in the group grew exponentially. It was a good way to have people take ownership of their locality.”

The group was christened Mancherji Edulji Joshi Colony Response Group (MEJCRG), and a resident from each building was part of it. By then, members had also requested their corporator Amey Ghole to join. “And he very willingly agreed,” Engineer remembers. Another WhatsApp group was formed with representatives of the ALM—Mancherji Edulji Joshi Colony Residents Association—and other important municipality departments such as Solid Waste Management and Storm Water Drainage, and the corporator, who could be reached out to in the case of an emergency. “We were administratively creating a platform for communication,” says Engineer. It helped address the flooding and garbage situation in the area. “We were also making residents aware of BMC’s systems and processes.” When the city narrowly escaped cyclone Nisarga, but many trees didn’t, several residents including Engineer, cleaned up the debris when the civic forces couldn’t due to lockdown restrictions.   

Residents of Khar’s 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th roads started a WhatsApp group after a rise in theft cases during the lockdown. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Septuagenarian Dilly Dalal continues to be an active member on these groups, sharing photographs of debris and untrimmed branches. “We are updated about what’s going on here,” she says. “We also tell them about what work needs to be done. Sometimes the BMC gets it done, sometimes it’s not possible due to lack of infrastructure, but officers have been by and large helpful. Gajanan Belalle, who was our assistant municipality commissioner until this month, was excellent... very cooperative and supportive. We hope the officials who have now taken over continue the good work.”  
 
Other resident groups have spearheaded change in a short span of time using social media as their weapon. Twenty-seven-year-old Shaikh Faiyaz Alam is founder of Govandi Citizens, an informal citizens welfare forum on Twitter. “We started the group during the lockdown,” he says, “because we felt there was a need for a place where we could voice the concerns of the residents, many of whom live in slum pockets. Literacy rate here is low, so we personally visited houses to request residents to follow us on Twitter.”

One of the first issues that the forum took up was the biomedical plant at Govandi-Deonar run by SMS Envoclean. “It was within 100 metres of the residential area, and had lead to a rise in disease and deaths,” Alam says. According to data gathered through RTI in September 2022, at least 5,000 people are diagnosed with TB within the ward every year; the disease has claimed 1,877 lives between 2013 and May 2022. “We had filed petitions with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and sent legal notices [to the state government and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board],” says Alam. “We also repeatedly followed up on the matter. That’s when authorities began to take notice.”

Shaikh Faiyaz Alam (second from right), along with members of Govandi Citizens, an informal citizens welfare forum that has been petitioning the government to move the biomedical plant from Govandi. Pic/Satej Shinde

In March this year, NGT constituted a committee of the pollution control boards and the district magistrate to investigate environmental violations by SMS Envoclean. While the MPCB and BMC continue to pass the buck on the land allotment issue, Alam, who is currently studying law, is hopeful that their efforts will bear fruits, and that the incinerator will finally be shifted out.

He is also president of the NGO Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society and has been pushing for more CBSE and ICSE schools in the area, and beautification projects. “We are also fighting against manual scavenging. This is a huge problem in the M East Ward; absolutely no safety gear is provided to the manual scavengers. We shared our findings on the National Human Rights Commission’s portal, and it has asked the collector to file a report in four weeks.”

Mandeep Singh Makkar heads the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) that comprises members of over 30 residential societies from the area. Their issues include encroachment of footpaths to illegal hawking zones to completion of the 90 Feet Road that will connect Chandivli Farm Road to Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), snipping away travel time. “Currently, there’s a single lane, narrow road [there], which is highly disruptive,” says Makkar, “It has cement, tar, potholes, paveblocks—you name it.” Around 400 residents staged a morcha in February this year demanding better roads and pedestrian-friendly footpaths. Very recently, the association has been pushing for a fire engine.

Residents of Juhu Wireless Affected Residents Association at a protest rally in December 

“In 2016, a major fire broke out in one of the high-rises. Around seven people died, and many were injured,” says Makkar, who runs his own business, “After the incident, a mini fire station opened in the area, but there has been no fire engine or security guard there for the last many months. They are definitely risking lives here.” The association’s WhatsApp group has 995 members, and “people are very active”. “They are always posting videos and photos. When we take up a cause, we broadcast it on Twitter, and our members retweet to get the attention of our local MLA and MP.”  

Some pursuits need to be relentless. BB Lakdawala, a chartered accountant and former professor at HR College, would know best. He founded the Juhu Wireless Affected Residents Association (JWARA) comprising residents of JVPD Scheme. “Our area is home to a defence wireless signalling station that dates back to World War II,” says Lakdawala.

During the emergency in 1976, the Army issued the SRO 150 rule under the Works of the Defence Act, limiting the height of structures in the vicinity of the signalling station to a maximum of 15.24 metres in view of potential obstruction of radio signal. Post Emergency, the rule wasn’t enforced. Meanwhile, several buildings mushroomed in the area.

When the Adarsh Housing Society scam broke out in 2009, Lakdawala claimed that the Army re-enforced the old law. “Houses undergoing redevelopment were slapped with a stop work notice by the BMC. The Army had restricted reconstruction within 500m radius from the station,” he says. Over 50 residents are already affected by this, and many living in dilapidated structures are likely to be impacted in the future.

Residents had grown weary when Lakdawala formed an association five years ago to advocate their cause. Letters to the Prime Minister and Defence Ministry continue to go unanswered, but the heft of all the residents towards the common cause has been a flame of hope. In December, residents led a protest in JVPD. “It’s been nearly 14 years, and we’ve lost many senior residents since. But JWARA will continue the fight... Everyone has the right to live with dignity.”

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