BMC carves out K-North from K-East ward, includes Andheri East, Jogeshwari East

The K-East ward is spread across 25 wards, according to the 2011 census, although BMC anticipates that the population has scaled up to around 13-14 lakh in 2024

MUMBAI: A 26th administrative ward under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be birthed on Thursday after splitting the populous K-East ward. It will now be cleaved into two: from the existing ward, a K-North ward will be eked out which will be operated from Poonam Nagar, in Jogeshwari East.

Mumbai, India - Oct. 9, 2024: BMC citizen facilitation center - K/ North at Jogeshwari east in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The new ward will be inaugurated by chief minister Eknath Shinde today.

The K-East ward, which encompasses Andheri East, Vile Parle East, and Jogeshwari East, has a population of 11 lakh, spread across 25 wards, according to the 2011 census, although BMC anticipates that the population has scaled up to around 13-14 lakh in 2024. The new ward will have a population of 8 to 10 lakh.

The growth of these suburbs over the years made it a challenge for the civic body to address civic issues and plan development; and ensure the upkeep of public amenities and infrastructure.

Key pain spots in the ward are the MIDC, SEEPZ and Milan Subway. It covers a geographical area of 16.8 square kilometers and consists of 15 councillor wards. Of these, eight will now fall under K-North ward and seven will remain under K-East ward.

Given such a scenario, BMC decided to divide K-East into two in order to improve management and streamline delivery of services.

Going forward, K-North will include Jogeshwari East, Marol, Seepz and MIDC, while K-East will cover Vile Parle, JB Nagar and the area around the airport. Meanwhile, K-West ward, which includes Andheri, Juhu and Vile Parle West, will remain unchanged. Around ₹21 crore has been spent for electrical and civil works in the new ward offices.

The civic body’s decision follows the division of the P-North ward (Malad West) in October 2022, which previously served a population of 1.2 million before being split into P-East and P-West.

Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner, K-East, will continue to helm the newly formed ward. “The ward will house 17 departments and will be decentralised. Citizens will now be able to pay their taxes easily. It had become difficult to administratively manage a big ward,” said Valanju.

He explained, the decentralisation will reduce the need for residents of Marol and Jogeshwari to travel to Andheri East for redressal of issues. With the new arrangement, help will be closer home. “It will also simplify our staff’s ability to manage emergency services,” he added.

K-North ward will have eight councillor wards, carved out from the original 15 councillor wards of K-East ward. Key issues in K-East ward are related to water supply, solid waste management and drainage.

“Jogeshwari is primarily made up of slum areas, and K-North ward nearby will make it accessible to them. They don’t have to travel to Gundavali to pay taxes, obtain certificates, or address other civic matters engaging in a long commute. All 17 departments will be available there,” said Valanju.

The first proposal

The proposal to split the ward was approved by the standing committee a year-and-a-half ago; its implementation was however slow. Local MLA Ravindra Waikar first raised the issue of the overcrowded ward in the assembly, while the proposal was originally made by former councillor Anant Nar in November 2019.

A two-member panel appointed by BMC, consisting of joint municipal commissioners Bharat Marathe and Sunil Dhamne, proposed the division of K-East and L wards in 2022. BMC is yet to act on the latter.

Following the division of P-North and K-East wards, there are talks about the split in the L ward, which encompasses areas such as Kurla, Sakinaka, Chunabhatti and Chandivali, with a total of 16 wards and a population exceeding nine lakh. Due to the heavy burden on the ward, the plan was to divide it into two sections: L-South and L-North.