Where old Ngp meets haphazard devpt

 

 

 

Prabhag No 18, where the old Nagpur meets with modern development and progress, is always an important base for all political parties. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently holding the constituency firmly. Situated in Central Nagpur, the Prabhag holds both symbolic and political importance. The Prabhag consists of areas like -- Chitnispura, Shivaji Nagar, Ratan Colony, Chhattrapati Vidyalaya, Old Shukrawari, MSEB Office, Mahal, Naik Road, C P and Berar College, Garud Khamb, Rajvilas Cinema, Kotwali Police Station, Pataleshwar Temple, Dakshinmurti Chowk, Ram Mandir Gulli, Bhonsale Wada, Bhutiyah Darwaza, Kalyaneshwar Temple, Nagar Bhavan, Singada Market, Colonel Bagh, Ramaji Chi Wadi, Kashibai Temple, Rahatekar Wadi, Gadi Khana, Joharipura, Kothi Road, Siraspeth and Mattipura. 

 

 

 

In this BJP dominated Prabhag, the Indian National Congress (INC) succeeded to put a dent in the reputation of BJP in the previous 2017 civic elections as Rushikesh alias Bunty Shelke of Congress defeated BJP’s Sudhir Haridas Raut by 1,833 votes. 

 

 

Prabhag No 18 is a Marathi dominated constituency where Brahmin and open category voters plays a major role in all elections. Out of 66,652 total population, 7,037 people are belong to SC category whereas 2,881 are comes in ST category. Along with Marathi people, the ward has a large number population of Gujarati and Sindhi community which has historically played an important role in local politics. Apart from this, the Prabhag is home to OBC, Muslims, and an increasing number of North Indians, particularly in the fringe areas. This social diversity makes electoral calculations complex, as no single community dominates the voter base.

 

 

Despite repeated political attention, the Prabhag continues to struggle with basic civic problems. Residents complain that development has been fast but it ignored the historical importance of the constituency. Though the civic body converted most of the main and interior roads into concrete, the city fathers forgot to widen the roads. As a result, the heavy traffic on narrow roads in Mahal area is a common view for residents and daily commuters. As the Mahal area is a major marketing hub of the city, it witnesses traffic jam on daily basis. Citizens face problem of parking throughout the constituency which were never addressed by the corporators and the civic body. Drainage is another major concern. Old and narrow drainage lines often choke which lead to sewage water entering homes during the monsoon. In several layouts, proper drainage and water supply systems are still missing.