Members of a citizens' association in Versova want to ensure that whoever becomes the MLA resolves them, and so presented three of those standing in the assembly polls the findings
A LOCA team conducts the survey on the Lokhandwala back road
Determined to get the newly elected MLA resolve the issues in their locality, residents of Lokhandwala and Oshiwara presented three of the four candidates with a survey about the same, on Saturday. The Lokhandwala-Oshiwara Citizens' Association (LOCA) provided the results of the survey to all the candidates (they could not give it to sitting MLA Bharti Lavekar) contesting the Versova seat before the assembly polls today, to ensure that whoever wins, gets to know the work she/he will have to take on.
What the people want
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A total of 235 people from Lokhandwala, Oshiwara, and Shastri Nagar were surveyed by members of the residents' association over the past two weekends. Out of all the suggestions and problems cited by the surveyed residents, the top 14 were collated into a report titled, 'What people of Oshiwara/Lokhandwala expect from the elected MLA.' The topmost expectation on the report is that the entire green cover (mangroves and trees) primarily located on the back roads, be barricaded with a 12 feet wall. The residents of the neighbourhood have fought for long for this greenery keeping in mind the presence of flora and fauna there. "We undertook this survey because we want the candidate to know what the people want, as opposed to her/him formulating their own ideas for the area," said Dhaval Shah, founder of LOCA. "The best way is to give the people what they want."
Other demands listed
Other demands listed in the report are pothole-free roads and concretised (instead of tar) bylanes, paver blocks, and more importantly, a monthly public meeting attended by officials of the RTO, traffic police, police department, narcotics department, as well as a member of the civic body and local tehsildar. Demands for a 24-hour parking lot, for more towing vans, and for CCTVs on all traffic signals in the constituency to nab errant drivers, were also listed. Bharti Lavekar of the BJP is the sitting MLA in Versova. The seat is expected to be contended strongly in a tough four-way battle between three-time Congress MLA Baldev Khosa, Lavekar, former Sena, now Independent candidate Rajul Patel, and Sandesh Desai of the MNS.
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