The residents of Ambedkar Nagar andvarious other colonies situated on the hill have to spend major part of their day collecting water. Several promises have been made by citizens' representatives and the authorities to sort out the problem, but nothing has materialised even after years of assurances. A story no different from any other suburb of Mumbai.

Another problem that plagues Parksite is that of two markets which have been wearing a haunted look for years now. The meat market, also known as Bamkhana Market, and the vegetable market are empty with an exception of a few sellers and a couple of buyers. Bamkhana market, located behind the fire brigade station, has only two mutton shops and a section of beef sellers who possibly couldn't find a place out on the road. The toilets here are also choked and dilapidated. ``How can it business as usual inside the market which has broken toilets, no water supply and drug addicts,'' rues one of the vendors. Interestingly, a few of these vendors are licensed and are charged a fixed sum each day bythe Ward Office.

Also, at any given point of time, one can invariably find a bunch of drug addicts in the market. As escape modes, they have made holes in the walls. Just in case the place is raided, they find their way out through the slums behind the market.

The condition of the vegetable market is also not very different. Water tanks without water, piles of garbage, stinking and broken urinals and poor quality of construction is very obvious as one enters the market. This has led the place to be patronised by only a few sellers, with the majority of stalls lying vacant. Moreover, the toilet here is only meant for men and there's no provision for women. ``Only if the authorities planned before constructing the market,'' complains one of the hawkers who can be seen operating fearlessly on the Anandgadh Road.

``They have the blessing of the politicians here,'' alleges Salim Mohammed, a social worker and member of Mohalla Committee. Anandgadh Road is packed with hawkers, so much so that one needs immensepatience to shop here, considering the number is increasing by the day. ``While on one hand it is good competition for the hawkers, on the other it is better bargain for the buyers,'' says a resident. ``It is also more of unaccounted income for the authorities. For, not all the vendors here are licensed,'' he further alleges.

If only the available markets could be put to right use the bottlenecks on the roads could be taken of in no time. However, it is easier said than done. Officials, when confronted, explained that the markets in the suburbs this side of the city are not patronised. A senior market department official said: ``We are ready to maintain the markets provided people patronise them.'' The procedure of allotment of stalls here is also very complicated, for the ones inside are given away by auction only. While the department held an auction on March 8, 1999 to allot stalls in the Eastern suburban markets, authorities claim that it did not receive a good response. ``As per the terms andconditions of the auction, the bidder has to bid a minimum of seven years of rent, which for most is a huge amount to pay. They prefer to pay everyday than shell out huge sums in one go,'' explained a hawker.

Interestingly, the Ward Office blames the market department for not maintaining the markets properly. This, they say, leads to vendors selling goods out on the roads. But the market department counteracts the allegation by blaming the Ward Office for allowing hawkers to sit on the road, also the reason why they didn't bid for the market space.

This argument seems to be an unending one and the hawkers continue to vend freely with the support from the political parties. Is anyone listening?