Social Activities

‘APNA’ haq aithe rakh

By Gajanan Khergamker

“There’s no place for the elderly to walk safely on footpaths,” claims an exasperated Krishna Pawle, “No check on dicey security personnel so freely keeping a watch on our families, neither on mobile tower companies who continue to bamboozle their way onto our terraces and threaten our health.” Pawle has now planned to do something about it.

Despite the surge in security services employed throughout the four Pasta Lanes, there has been a concurrent surge in crimes occurring in the area, feels the Aadhar Pratisthan president. Heading an organisation that deals with niggling social issues and protecting structures and spaces that need to be safeguarded from the onslaught of modern change and ‘development’, Pawle has recently formed the ‘All Pastalane Navnirman Association’ (APNA) that aims to ‘take up all social issues of residents without prejudice’.




There is an urgent need to stick by the law, which demands proper registration of security personnel, validation by the employing cooperative housing society and validation by the nearest police station. “We will ensure that the security personnel employed are properly registered and ascertain their credibility. How can you trust any watchman who doesn’t even have the credentials to even own a SIM card? What if he commits a crime and absconds? Where will you look for him?” queries Pawle, touching upon a pressing security issue.

The roads in the four Pasta Lanes are peppered with potholes, garbage and encroachments. “We will ensure that the roads are repaired, take up all civic issues with authorities and ensure the footpaths are free of all encroachments so as to allow pedestrians – mostly senior citizens living here – to walk without any encumbrance,” he says. Seconding his opinion is Third Pasta Lane resident Ashok Shahani who feels, “It’s about time someone took up the issue of encroachment seriously. After all, this part of Mumbai houses a lot of senior citizens who find commuting extremely difficult. They risk injury and accidents in the face of traffic and encroachments along the way.”

With regard to mobile towers, in the absence of a proper policy on the same, Pawle urges societies to stick to the law and avoid permitting installation of mobile towers arbitrarily ‘only for the sake of money’. “We have overwhelming evidence of the fact that the presence of a mobile tower in the vicinity of a cooperative housing society raises the risk of health hazards,” says Pawle. “We will take up the issue of health hazards urgently with residents and apprise them of the legal and health drawbacks of putting up towers,” he adds.

All Pastalane Navnivman Association plans to hold seminars and workshops for residents of the four lanes at first, and then extend beyond, including tying  up with neighbouring associations to help enhance the standard of living; take up civic issues which are ignored, ensure law and order is maintained and more.

Celebrates Independence Day and Republic
Day with national fervour, year after year

Held Manase Blood Camp

Held an Eye Camp

Awareness programme on Terrorism held in consortium with Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS)

Fruit distribution programme held for the poor,
sick at St George's Hospital.

Formed the Colaba Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Sangh

Organised  Honhaar Dancing Star to boost local talent of Colaba slums

Celebrate Nivruttiseth Pawle's birthday on May 5th every year with a bonanza of social activities aimed towards the uplift of slums

Kite-distribution programmes held every Makar Sankranti

Undertake tree plantations and re-plantation drives at Colaba

Road repairs undertaken every year, through personal
supervision, following the monsoons

Sponsors the Shirdi Padyatra every year

Provided extensive water connections entirely on personal initiative and cost to slums in Colaba - mainly in Ambedkar Nagar