The Bombay High Court on Tuesday pulled up the BMC for turning “a complete blind eye” to objectionable installation of transformer box with high tension electric wires leading to it being placed in the middle of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) and apprehended that there could be a mishap of any nature due to approaching monsoon. The court expressed displeasure over the “state of affairs” and directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to take immediate steps to remove or shift the said installation within a week. In the event, the bench said, if there is any mishap of any nature, and more particularly, when monsoon is soon approaching, the officers of BMC and MSEDCL would be responsible for all consequences, damages and compensation which would be required to be paid to any of the victims. The court also sought to know the steps taken by police to remove seized vehicles occupying public roads. A bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Advait M Sethna on April 29 passed an order on plea by Marathon Maxima Co. Op. Housing Society from Mulund (West), raising concerns over dumping/ parking/storing of vehicles seized, towed or confiscated by the police department on roads, streets and/or the surroundings of police stations in Mumbai. On April 8, the HC had observed that while encroachments on footpaths in Mumbai or any other city are making the lives of pedestrians “miserable”, unlawful dumping of seized vehicles added to the "woes" and sought state-wide policy on the issue. On Tuesday, Advocate Seema Chopda for the petitioner society situated at the busy junction of GMLR and LBS road, submitted latest photographs of the transformer box put in the middle of the road. Chopda said the construction work of GMLR undertaken by BMC is in progress and such installation raises "serious safety hazards." “It certainly indicates an imminent danger which would be caused by such electricity installations, which are right at the middle of the road," the bench noted and questioned how it can be installed at the said place. It added no care or precaution was taken by the MSEDCL to protect the installation from causing potential threat to human lives. “The Municipal Corporation appears to have turned a complete blind eye, this more particularly, when the work of the Goregaon Malad Link Road is being undertaken by the Municipal Corporation," the HC noted. It directed the authorities to take immediate steps to remove or shift the installation before the next date of hearing on May 7. The court also sought from the state lawyer an information from different police stations in Mumbai related to dumping of seized vehicles along with the steps taken to address the concerns expressed by the court.
