Across Mumbai, resident groups are issuing demand charters and making it clear that votes in the upcoming BMC elections will depend on public commitments, timelines and accountability, not party promises.
Citizen-led initiatives like Chandivali’s “shadow corporator,” PILs in Colaba over fish waste, and RTI-driven monitoring are stepping in where elected representatives and civic agencies have failed.
After years of inaction, residents in areas like Dadar are resorting to protests and direct action, signalling a shift from passive voting to sustained civic pressure on politicians and the BMC.
Mumbai’s Citizens Are Taking On The Political Class Ahead Of BMC Polls
In a shift from traditional vote-bank politics, citizens in some constituencies are submitting demand charters that highlight local priorities ranging from infrastructure and cleanliness to public health and transparency.
Summary
With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections around the corner on January 15 with results a day after, Mumbai’s residents are no longer waiting for political parties to set the agenda. Across constituencies such as Chandivali, Dadar, Colaba and Kurla, citizen groups and resident welfare associations are asserting their power, laying down clear demands and monitoring civic works.
Citizens and groups are submitting demand charters that outline local priorities ranging from infrastructure and cleanliness to public health and transparency. Many groups have gone a step further, warning that votes will be cast only if candidates publicly commit to timelines, accountability mechanisms and clear work plans.
‘Shadow Corporator’ To Watch Elected Representatives
In Chandivali, the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) has announced a bold initiative ahead of the polls: it will function as a “shadow corporator” in L Ward, Kurla, regardless of which party or candidate wins.
Rather than entering electoral politics, the group says it will independently monitor the performance of the elected corporator and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This includes tracking ward-level budgets, scrutinising work orders, filing Right to Information (RTI) applications and ensuring that payments are not released for incomplete or non-existent projects.
“We debated contesting elections, but electoral politics often becomes about winning and distributing freebies,” said Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder of CCWA. “Citizens don’t need funds or party backing to hold power accountable. What we need is vigilance, systems and unity.”
The association plans to simplify civic budget data and share it with residents, flag misuse of funds, follow up on grievances and act as a watchdog over civic administration.
Colaba Residents Take Legal Route Against Authorities
In Colaba, residents have turned to the courts after years of suffering due to untreated fish waste from Sassoon Dock. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed against the Mumbai Port Authority (MBPA) in 2024 for allegedly violating solid waste management norms by failing to properly process fish offal generated by vendors.
Despite clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) under Mumbai’s solid waste management rules, residents say the waste continues to rot in the open, causing unbearable stench late into the night and worsening health conditions, particularly for asthmatic patients. Renu Kapoor, a Colaba resident, said the authorities were openly flouting the law. “If citizens are expected to segregate waste, why should a central government authority be exempt?” she asked. “The incinerator exists, but the waste is dried in the sun and transported in open trucks. The value of the waste is driving non-compliance.”
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Residents argue that the onus lies squarely on MBPA and the agencies operating within its premises, not on local citizens who have endured the consequences for years.
Dadar Protest Forces Market Shutdown
A few days back, Shiv Sena’s stronghold saw people’s frustration spill onto the streets when residents of Swarajya Co-operative Housing Society shut down the New Dadar Wholesale Fish Market on Senapati Bapat Marg after a decade of broken promises by civic authorities. Around 70 to 80 residents staged a peaceful but decisive protest, temporarily forcing the market to close. The action followed repeated assurances by the BMC that the market would be relocated, promises that residents say were never honoured.
“We have been following up for ten years,” said a resident. “We were told the market would be removed by Diwali. We were even taken to Wadala and Airoli for site inspections. Nothing changed.” Chetan Kamble, founder of the ChakaChak Dadar Social Organisation, added that even in the presence of the local MLA, residents were told the market would be shifted to Chembur Naka and that eviction orders would follow. “After that meeting, there was complete silence from the Market Department,” he said. “That’s when residents decided enough was enough.”
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