Aarey colony has not been taken seriously by any government: Incumbent MP Gajanan Kirtikar

by March 27, 2024 Governance
Gajanan Kirtikar, who joined hands with Eknath Shinde, says that SRA schemes should be allowed for Aarey residents to save the forest.

As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent them in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected Parliamentary representatives from Mumbai. We will ask them about the work they have done for the city, policies they have supported and why Mumbaikars should cast votes in their favour (or of their political parties). As part of this series, we spoke to Gajanan Kirtikar, who represented Mumbai North West for the past two terms.

He is an active Parliamentarian who was one of top 10 MPs who asked the maximum number of questions during their tenure, according to a report by Association for Democratic Reforms. Kirtikar, who had been a Bal Thackeray loyalist for decades, joined the faction of Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena. His son Amol Kirtikar, however, has chosen to stay back with Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena.

A proponent of the Metro car shed at Aarey, he seeks rehabilitation housing for those residing within Aarey. Beyond his political persona, he is also active in various sporting associations as administrator. Kirtikar has played a key role in organising national and international tournaments particularly in sports like Kabaddi and body building.

Mumbai North West and Gajanan Kirtikar

mumbai north west constituency map
Mumbai North West constituency. Gajanan Kirtikar said he had initiated over 200 different projects in his long tenure as a public representative. Source: https://www.electionmap.in/#11.97/19.12674/72.87719

Gajanan Kirtikar has been the elected representative of this area in various capacities for around 30 years. The constituency that comprises Andheri, Versova, Jogeshwari, Goregaon and parts of Malad has varied demography – fishing community, large population in informal settlements belonging to minorities, diverse groups -rich and poor- belonging to the entertainment industry and above all, the Aarey forest.

Read more: Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Gajanan Kirtikar, Mumbai North West

Video interview of Gajanan Kirtikar

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About Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony is an independent journalist based in Mumbai, who writes about issues of public policy, urban development, planning and environment. Passionate about Mumbai and its people, she tweets from hepzia and shares her views on her LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. https://hepzianthony.contently.com/
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