The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to separate the heavily populated areas of K-East ward comprising Andheri East, Jogeshwari East, and Vile Parle East. A new ward called K-North will be formed to reduce the load on the administrative structure.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will officially inaugurate the new ward on Thursday, October 10. The new ward office, located in a 12-story building at Poonam Nagar in Jogeshwari. This will bring the total number of administrative wards in Mumbai to 26.
The K-East ward will consist of Vile Parle East, JB Nagar, and areas near the airport. The new K-North ward will include Jogeshwari East, Marol, SEEPZ, and MIDC.
The BMC has spent INR 21 crore on civil and electrical work for the new ward offices. These offices will decentralise services and improve accessibility for residents. The new K-North ward will have 17 departments handling local issues such as drainage, waste management, and water supply.
Residents of slum areas in Jogeshwari will benefit from the division, as they will no longer need to travel to Gundavali to resolve civic issues. The will make it easier for citizens to access services without travelling long distances. The new arrangement will also help the BMC staff manage emergency services more effectively.
Earlier, K-East ward had 16.8 square kilometres, containing key locations such as Milan Subway, SEEPZ, and MIDC. It was divided into 15 councillor wards and had a population of 11 lakh as per 2011 census. However, the population is expected to rise to 13–14 lakh by 2024.
After the division, K-North will have eight councillor wards, while K-East will retain seven. The newly created K-North ward will house 8–10 lakh people. Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner of K-East, will oversee the newly formed ward. The K-West ward, including Vile Parle West, Juhu, and Andheri, will remain unchanged.
One of the reasons for the split is the growth of these suburbs over time. This has made it difficult for the BMC to manage civic issues, development, and public services. The goal is to decentralize services and reduce administrative difficulties The decision to split K-East ward had been under consideration for a while.
Former councillor Anant Nar proposed the division in November 2019. Local MLA Ravindra Waikar also raised concerns about the overcrowded ward. In 2022, a BMC-appointed two-member team, including joint municipal commissioners Bharat Marathe and Sunil Dhamne, recommended splitting K-East and L wards.
BMC had previously divided the P-North ward (Malad West) in October 2022. That ward served 1.2 million people before being divided into P-East and P-West. The division of L ward, which covers areas like Kurla and Sakinaka, has not yet been implemented.
Interestingly, many of the city's BMC wards are managed by executive and deputy chief engineers instead of assistant commissioners. As per reports, delays in hiring assistant commissioners by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) have led to this issue.
Share
Tweet
