Nawab Malik: Mankhurd lacks medical infrastructure, will be my first priority

The Mankhurd Shivajinagar constituency a traditional Samajwadi Party SP stronghold will see threetime MLA Abu Asim Azmi faceoff against the Nationalist Congress Party Ajit Pawar candidate Nawab Malik a former Anushakti Nagar MLA who has held multiple positions in the state Assembly This election will serve as a major test for Malik who recently joined the Ajit Pawar faction In the 2019 election Azmi won this seat by defeating Vitthal Govind Lokre of the undivided Shiv SenaVoter demographicsThe constituency represents a crosssection of society with the majority of the population residing in slums and a few SRA buildings It comprises Marathispeakers Muslims Dalits and a mix of economic classes Azmi claims the SP has a vote base of 65000 to 70000 in Mankhurd Shivajinagar ldquoThis has traditionally been a Samajwadi Party stronghold The people need a candidate who has been working with them for years and knows the issues of people hererdquo he saidShivaji Nagar in Govandi West where the majority of the population resides in slums and SRA buildingsMeanwhile Malik boasts that nearly 60 per cent of the constituency supports him and wants him to come to power ldquoI have been meeting people here and have come to know that the people need a new person in the constituency to resolve the issuesrdquo he said When midday met the rivals separately both appeared to share common ground regarding the constituencyrsquos key issues expressing similar concerns about rampant drug abuse increasing quality of life and major civic issuesNawab Malik NCP Ajit PawarWhat is your stance on redevelopment projects especially Slum Rehabilitation Authority SRA schemes Given concerns about vertical slums emerging from this policy do you think the scheme should be reformed paused or replaced If so what alternatives would you suggestSRA schemes are meant to improve slum dwellersrsquo quality of life They are proving to be beneficial for multiple individuals and families Moving from a slum to a building is a major move for such individuals and what I feel is that apart from just shifting these people to buildings counselling should also be provided to make sure that they adapt to the new lifestyle and not have the same mentalityAnother issue is the availability of medical infrastructure in the constituency One has to rush to either Shatabdi or Rajawadi hospital for proper medical care This is one of the major criteria on my agendaWhat plans do you have to improve road quality and pedestrian footpaths How will you address lastmile connectivity challenges to ensure ease of access for residents Are you aware of any highrisk areas and what immediate steps will you take to fix themTraffic is a key issue During peak hours if one tries to go towards Bandra or Andheri or come here from those locations it is a big headache There are multiple missing links in the locality and the planned construction of a few road connections will improve accessibility This also comes with the immediate issue of the slums occupying the stretches where the roads need to be constructed to improve connectivityPublic transport services are vital to cityrsquos mobility What measures would you advocate for to improve their efficiency reach and accessibility for all citizensThe accessibility around railway stations is inadequate In todayrsquos techsavvy world itrsquos unacceptable that itrsquos challenging to walk straight on a road for five minutes I aim to change this Basic changes like pedestrianfriendly roads near stations are quick fixes but require strong willpower This has been missing so far I feel The two railway stations in the locality Govandi and Mankhurd are also in very bad condition These stations are not even visible unlike other railway stations on the western and central lines due to slumsI have proposed a development plan for both stations The proposals are in the final stage and will be agreed upon soon Slum dwellers outside these stations also need to be rehabilitated as these are the ones making the stations almost invisibleDrug abuse is one of the most prevalent issues What measures do you recommend to tackle the menaceThe majority of the households are plagued by drug abuse in the locality There are multiple reasons for this and finding out the core causes and tackling them are as important as looking at the immediate issue of drug abuse and the lives affected by itThe majority of the youth is plagued by this issue One of the reasons for this is the issue of job availability The youth is turning towards drugs as they do not have a proper way to channel their energy in the right direction The education infrastructure in the locality plays a huge role in raising awareness about drug abuseAre there specific initiatives you would focus on to boost employment especially for youth and marginalised groupsJob creation and unemployment are pressing issues as described earlier I plan to start multiple skill centres to make sure the youth get handson experience and obtain the skills required in order to secure a job