Mumbai, Jan. 13 -- Ward 190, which includes parts of Mahim Koliwada, is a largely working-class area that has been in the spotlight over the past year due to the lack of a proper municipal school building and shrinking open spaces. As the civic elections approach, these two issues have become central, with residents demanding better facilities for education and recreation. Parents in the area say their children's education has suffered badly after the Mahim English Medium BMC school was declared dilapidated. Shaheen Ahmad, a parent and voter, said the problem began last year when students were shifted in the middle of the academic year. "We need a proper school building in our area. We have been struggling for the past year. When the school building was declared unsafe, children were suddenly moved to other schools," she said. The frequent relocations have taken a toll on families. Sonal Dabhade, a resident of the area, said her three children-studying in classes 3, 6 and 8 at New Mahim School-were shifted multiple times. They were first moved to a BMC school at Labour Camp in Mahim, which, she said, was far but manageable. Her youngest son was later shifted to another BMC school in Machhimar Nagar. A month later, the two elder boys were moved again, this time to a BMC school in Sion. "The new school is nearly a 45-minute walk from my home near Mahim station," said Dabhade. Faced with these difficulties, she eventually moved her youngest son to the Sion school. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Pranali Raut has been raising these concerns for the past two years. During her campaign, she said, "Open spaces, basic education and health facilities are the main priorities. Many open spaces in the ward were taken over by authorities over time." According to her, the ward once had 14 open spaces, most of which have since been lost. She said she would focus on protecting the remaining ones, including the Lokmanya School land, Kapda Bazaar playgrounds, the Keshav Wadi garden, the Damodar Wadi school area and Desai Maidan. BJP candidate and former corporator Sheetal Gambhir-Desai is also focusing on health facilities, playgrounds, and infrastructure in her door-to-door campaigning. "My aim is to make Mahim one of the best localities in Mumbai. I want to build a hospital and a playground within the next five years if elected," she said. Desai said plans for a multi-specialty hospital were already underway, with land identified and discussions with the developer in progress. She also spoke about developing a modern playground at Desai Maidan. "The land was earlier under the metro administration, but has now been taken back after the completion of metro work. The playground will include good facilities and turf," she said. To tackle illegal parking, especially along Senapati Bapat Marg, Desai said pay-and-park facilities would be introduced to ease congestion. She added that she would remain accessible to residents and work towards making Mahim cleaner, healthier and better equipped with roads, footpaths and public amenities. To address illegal parking, especially on Senapati Bapat Marg, pay-and-park facilities will be introduced to reduce congestion, she said. She added that she would be available to citizens at all times and would work towards making Mahim cleaner, healthier and better equipped with roads, footpaths and public facilities....