Haphazardly excavated stretches across the city are not only an eyesore and nuisance for pedestrians—they also hinder citizens’ access to emergency services, which could have disastrous consequences. mid-day reached out to residents whose safety is being compromised owing to road-digging work.
Both Mumbaikars and emergency service providers expressed concerns about vehicles having to ply narrow roads during crises, with the latter revealing that due to congestion and diversions caused by ongoing roadwork, the response time of responders is being impacted, sometimes resulting in loss of life.
CENTRAL MUMBAI (MATUNGA, SION, WADALA, MAHIM)
Rajyogi Jaimal Singh Marg at Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar near Sion Koliwada has been dug up for concreting work. The Guru Nanak College of Arts, Science and Commerce is on this stretch. When mid-day visited the spot, it was found that no proper safety arrangements were being followed during the work.
The dug-up section of Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar’s Rajyogi Jaimal Singh Marg on April 6. FILE PIC
“The whole scenario has made life outside the college a bit miserable, causing untold hardships to pedestrians, school-going kids, college students, the disabled and the elderly. It is high time the civic authorities take cognisance of this menace and get the road back in order,” said Professor K Praveish Vishwanath Aiyar, visiting faculty with the college. A student stressed the need for proper barricading and following safety measures, not only for the sake of his peers, but every pedestrian.
EASTERN SUBURBS (MULUND, GHATKOPAR, CHEMBUR)
There has been digging outside the MT Agrawal Hospital in Mulund West as a section of the road outside the facility is being concreted in patches, but luckily, the hospital does not cater to patients facing emergencies and has been under construction. However, due to the digging, the road outside the hospital is constantly jammed as it is on several bus routes. Fortunately, the road near the fire brigade office has not been affected.
The stretch outside MT Agrawal Hospital in Mulund West. PIC/Rajendra B. Aklekar
“Road digging is leading to severe traffic jams and delays for commuters. Dust generation from digging has contributed to increased air pollution, posing a health hazard to residents. The lack of coordination between different departments is leading to unplanned road digging. Some roads are being dug up even though they were in good condition or concreted just months ago. All this is making our daily life chaotic, leading to frustration. Digging has also impacted footpaths, inconveniencing pedestrians,” said citizen activist Alka Dand.
The road outside the Wamanrao Muranjan Madhymik and Uchhamadhyamik Vidyalaya in Mulund. PIC/RAJESH Gupta
Incessant digging outside the Wamanrao Muranjan Madhymik and Uchhamadhyamik Vidyalaya in Mulund East has led to problems for school students. A parent complained that the students are almost trapped inside the facility. A BMC contractor at the site said they would try and fix the stretch at the earliest.
SOUTH MUMBAI (COLABA, CUFFE PARADE, CHARNI ROAD)
Concreting work in this area has not just put residents of respective areas in trouble, but has also made life harder for providers of emergency services. “Mumbai roads are congested even when roads are not excavated. Now, dug-up stretches only added to our problems. From an increase in travel time to making navigation of routes difficult, we face many issues. Ideally, it takes 10-15 minutes to get from JJ Hospital to Bombay Hospital.
The road outside the Wamanrao Muranjan Madhymik and Uchhamadhyamik Vidyalaya in Mulund. PIC/Rajesh Gupta
But considering the congestion caused by concreting work, it takes 30 minutes or more in peak office hours to cover the same distance. Plus, when there are patients inside, we must be very careful about potholes and uneven roads. Also, our job demands that we drive fast but safely. Diversions due to dug-up roads cause chaos. Additionally, when the roads are excavated, heavy trucks that are brought to work sites damage surrounding roads, where we need to drive slowly, putting the patients at risk,” said Sampat, an ambulance driver.
A N Bacchao, fire marshal, Nariman Point Fire Brigade, said, “Small lanes in the town area of the city have been one of the biggest challenges. Also, dug-up roads have become another big headache. The problem is that all roads are dug simultaneously, leaving no alternative routes for us to reach the accident spots. Also, even if they keep one half of the road functional while working on the other, our vehicles are such that this functional space isn’t enough. It is very difficult for our marshals to carry ladders and other equipment to reach the actual spot of the fire break-out. This hampers our response times. However swiftly we depart from fire stations, dug-up roads prevent us from reaching accident spots as soon as possible.
By the time we reach there, it happens that many people start jumping out of buildings due to suffocation or fear, leading to loss of human life. Also, road diversions create another nuisance as today one road is closed and the next day another one is, which leads to confusion and wastage of time.”
WESTERN SUBURBS (BANDRA, ANDHERI)
Residents of SV Patel Nagar and Lokhandwala in Andheri West have pointed out that during emergencies, the fire brigade and ambulance operators may find it difficult to reach certain spots as some roads are either shut or have been narrowed down.
Abhijeet Sonone, an Andheri West resident, said, “There is a road that connects SV Patel Nagar Road with Jankidevi School Road. At one location, the stretch has been closed, and traffic has been diverted via an internal road that is already narrow. If there is a fire or a local has to be rushed to the hospital tomorrow, how will they go? The road is extremely narrow.”
An excavated road at Lokhandwala in Andheri West
Some internal roads in SVP Nagar have been dug up for concreting work. When mid-day visited the spot, it was evident that fire engines or ambulances would find it a daunting task to enter the narrow lanes. The situation was no different in the upscale Lokhandwala area. Anil Menon, a Lokhandwala Complex resident, said that due to ongoing road work, members of his housing society, which faces the main road, have not been able to open their windows.
Abhijeet Sonone, who resides near SV Patel Nagar (right) Anil Menon, a Lokhandwala Complex resident
He added, “In our area, a road has been dug up for concreting purposes, but going by the pace at which the work is going on, the project won’t be completed before monsoon. There is a lot of dust pollution due to the ongoing work. The road is also narrow now, so how will vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances reach our area if there is any emergency?”
