Bad roads motorists’ nightmare

“There were a lot of potholes on the roads before monsoon. More have appeared on most of these roads. The new ones are larger and deeper,leaving little space for traffic,” said Mulund resident Sunil Gangwani.

The issue of road repairs has been the subject of discussion between local corporators and senior municipal officers for a long time. Tenders for filling up of potholes are still being given out. Tenders for constructing new roads were finalised in May instead of January due to litigation,and had to be suspended soon after due to monsoon.

M G Road leading from Mulund railway station to Eastern Express Highway splits into five smaller roads at one point and this junction,too,is affected,leading to daily snarls. Guru Gobind Singh Marg and Ganesh Gawde Road are similarly affected. Corporator Prakash Gangadhare said,“I have been raising the issue at ward committee meetings. I know some of the roads in Mulund are in a bad condition. However,I believe work will begin soon.”

Theft of manhole covers poses threat

Over the past few weeks,residents of the H-West Ward,especially Khar (west),have reported a spate of manhole cover thefts. “Various roads on the 11th Road,14th Road and 17th road have missing manhole covers. This poses a serious risk to cars and pedestrians especially at night. BMC’s replacement supply of covers cannot keep up with the number of thefts every week,” said chairman of the H-West Federation,Anandini Thakoor. According to Thakoor,residents blame the ragpickers residing in the nearby slum,Murugan Chawl,for the thefts.

“They are a growing menace — they break into residential buildings,steal anything saleable and throw stones at the watchmen. We have repeatedly complained to police,but no action has been taken,” Thakoor alleged. Alka Kerkar,corporator of the ward,said,“I have routinely informed BMC and police demanding that the stolen manhole covers be replaced immediately and security be ensured. However,the response has been slow.”

Signal creates chaos in Mahim

Chaos at the junction between M N C Road,L J Road and Agiari Road in Mahim has worsened after the traffic police installed a signal towards the end of last year,activists from the area say.

Most drivers choose to ignore the signal,leading to congestion. The wayward movement of vehicles is especially dangerous as there are three schools in the vicinity,said Colin Duat from G-North Citizens’ Federation. “Fortunately,there has not been any accident yet,but it is a disaster waiting to happen. The timing on the signal is also wrong. We have requested traffic police to deploy a constable to ensure disciple,but it has not happened,” Duat said.

Virendra Tandel,corporator of the area,said he was aware of the issue.“I often drop my daughter at Canossa Convent,one of the schools near the junction. The signal there slows down traffic and creates jams,so people prefer to not follow it. I had asked the residents to send me a letter,which I could forward to the traffic department. So far,I have not received anything,” Tandel said,admitting he has not followed up on the issue.

Road turned into an ‘open gutter’

THE STRETCH between Lakhamsi Napoo Road and Matunga Central railway station is an “open gutter”,say residents,with encroachment on either side. Hawkers dump garbage on the street and during monsoon,the stretch looks like a gutter with sludge flowing on to the road. This stretch has over 300 hawkers on footpaths as well as on the sides of the road. This forces pedestrians and locals to walk on the road,which in turn disrupts traffic on the narrow two-way street.

According to locals,hawkers dump their waste in the open at night. The footpath on this stretch has been converted into a roadside market with hawkers enjoying protection from local corporators and ward officials,say residents. “Anybody who has walked outside Matunga station in the evening would know how bad the traffic in this area is. Besides the entire footpath being occupied by hawkers,two-third of the road is used for double-parking,and even triple parking,’’ said Rajeev Nadar,a resident.

Residents along with NGO Sahasi Padyatri had organised a satyagraha against the civic body. Nikhil Desai,an activist,said,“The stretch is occupied by around 35 licensed hawkers while 350 are illegal.”

Assistant municipal commissioner of F-North ward evacuated all hawkers and initiated action against them recently. However,they returned soon after.

“Protection from ward officials and local politicians allowed these hawkers to return,” added Desai.

Potholes hamper Ramzan prayers

Apart from inconveniencing motorists,the pothole menace has irked Muslims offering prayers in areas surrounding Marine Lines,Pydhonie and Princess Street (C Ward). “When the Masjid is filled to capacity,our brothers offer prayer from the adjoining street. There are so many potholes,especially on minor roads,that we are not able to kneel and pray,” said Yakub Memon,Samajwadi Party corporator from the ward.

Hameedia Masjid in Pydhonie sees about 5,000 people during Ramzan,most of them praying on Ibrahim Rahmatullah Road that leads to J J Hospital. “These roads have numerous potholes. We use plastic bags and put a sheet on top for prayers,” said Abdul Rehman,a resident. Ibrahim Rahmatullah Road falls in B ward,causing confusion about maintenance among the ward authorities,said Memon. Private contractors who fill potholes are not supervised by any BMC official,he added.

Corporator of B ward,Javid Juneja,said,“They use inferior material to fill potholes,which is washed away when it rains.”