Priya Dutt inherited the legacy of father Sunil Dutt, both as a politician and social worker.  She is into her second term as Member of Parliament, winning the Mumbai north-central seat in 2009, and is quite popular, especially among the underprivileged section of the society.  A friendly and helpful soul, she has been devoting considerable time for improving civic facilities of her area. One such project was to repair a road in Bandra (East)  in 2008-9 which won her gratitude of the slum dwellers of nearby areas.

Project: Re-laying Ekta Hind Society Station Road, a part of which lies across a railway line and goes by the name of Kabrastan Road .

Objective: To lay a concrete road in the place of a 'kutcha' road which got flooded during rains every year.

Date of commencement: 17.5.2008 for Ekta Hind Society Station Road  and 13.5.2008 for Kabrastan Road

Deadline: 31.7.2008 for Ekta Hind Society Station Road and 31.7.2008 for Kabrastan Road

Date of completion: same as deadline given

Estimated cost:  Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively

Cost incurred: same as estimated

Executing agency:  Mumbai Slum Improvement Board

Governance Now decided to make an on-the-spot assessment of the project.  Principal Correspondent Geetanjali Minhas visited the area and found that both stretches of the road have been rebuilt with conrete blocks and is of great help to the locals. Guiding around the area,  Fahim , a local resident and chairman of the Ekta Hind Society, said: “The road has eased our problems. Earlier we had great difficulty, especially during the monsoon as the kuchcha road got flooded.  Going to the kabristan in rain was really painful. Now even four-wheelers run on this road.”

Though the road is much better now than what it was earlier, as Fahim vouchsafes, Geetanjali found quality of work bad. She found the road breaking at several places, creating potholes in the process and would soon require a repair.

Her verdict on the project: 50-50.

Your Turn: Priya Dutt claims to have carried out several other projects to improve the civic condition in her constituency. She is particularly interested in making her city greener and providing space for children to play. Have these projects really made a difference? Are these projects useful as she claims? Here we list out some of the important ones for you to check out and let us know if her claims are right. Become our Public Reporter and send us your views, photographs and if you like, video clipings, to make your point.

Some of the projects Priya Dutt sanctioned under the MPLAD scheme in 2008-9 are as follows:

    * Concretisation of road in Millat nagar of Oshiwara, Andheri (West)

    * Construction of road near Dockland Park of Millat Nagar in Oshiwara

    * Beautification of Munna Munni Park in Manish Nagar, Andheri (West)

    * Relaying water and sewage lines in Maharashtra Nagar No.1 , Bandra (West)

    * Relaying water and sewage lines in Maharashtra Nagar No.2, Bandra (West)

    * Construction of computer room in St. Andrews College , Bandra (West )

    * Construction of a classroom in St. Andrews College Bandra (West)

    * Construction of compound wall of St. Andrews Bandra (West )

    * Construction of compound wall of Football Maidan of Sahargaon in Andheri (East)