Work on Peddar Road begins,locals brace for chaos on Monday

The digging of the 240-metres stretch at the Peddar Road began at 5.00 pm on Saturday. The stretch has 130-year-old sewer lines laid during the British era which were heavily leaking and are rotten. Though traffic on the weekend was 40 per cent less than weekdays and around 120 traffic cops were posted,serpentine queues of the south-bound traffic were seen on the Peddar Road.

“It takes less than 10 minutes for one to reach from Race Course to Cadbury’s junction. However,my friend was stuck for more than an hour in the snarls,” said Geeta Mehta,a Peddar Road resident. “Though the work is important and it will take a couple of days for commuters to get used to the diversions,we can imagine what Monday’s traffic will be like,” Mehta added.

Echoing Mehta’s sentiment,president of Peddar Road Residents Association (PRRA) Veena Singhal,who herself commuted through diversions on Saturday,said: “Numbers of cars was less on Saturday due to vacation and weekend. The real test of the diversion plan will be during peak hours on Monday when we will come to know if the arrangement is appropriate.” She added,“Our only fear is heavy congestion at the narrow Gamadia Lane as traffic from three different roads will pass through it.”

Maninder Singh,secretary of the PRRA,said that residents are willing to adjust with inconvenience as it’s for a good cause. “We do not have any choice. If the road caves in and there is a loss of life,then who will take the responsibility,” he asked.

Traffic Police has warned commuters to use the alternate routes: right turn at Wilson College and Pandita Ramabai Road to Nana Chowk can be used for going to Tardeo Circle and Haji Ali junction.

Civic officials said it will take around 15 days for the work to be completed which will include repairs to eight manholes and laying of new pipelines and connecting it to the existing sewer line. “If any of the utilities are not damaged and all work goes as per plan,then we will be able to finish work on time,” said an official present at the spot. The work will be carried 24/7 without any break.

The BMC has published 10,000 pamphlets and have explained the diversion plan to residents and alerted the commuters by giving advertisements in the newspaper and electronic channels. The Traffic department too has sent SMS to residents on the traffic plan.

BOX: The great Peddar Road repair

The replacement of sewer pipelines on the 240 meter stretch has been an issue for the BMC since the last 25 years. The work of placing a new pipeline was first proposed in 1983. However,the traffic department has been regularly denying the permission to close the traffic on this main arterial road which is used by large number of commuters from suburbs to reach South Mumbai. After parts of the road caved in twice in the last two years,the BMC decided to pursue the matter and get the traffic partially closed to carry the work. Permission was finally given by the traffic department on March 29 for 15 days. However,hours after the work began,chaos lead to influential VIPs and Chief Minister Ashok Chavan intervening and halting the work. It was later decided to postpone the work and undertake it on May 2 after the elections and examinations were over.