Mumbai Rains: MMRDA's claims fall flat as potholes stare in their face

Potholes on the stretch between New Link Road Lotus petroleum in Andheri West and Behrambaug

Just two days of rain has washed away the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's (MMRDA) pre-monsoon claims that commuters won't face any problems while travelling on the stretches where Metro construction work is underway. Not only water-logging, but even potholes have started appearing on the New Link Road between Andheri and Dahisar, where the D N Nagar Dahisar Metro 2A work is going on, and the Western Express Highway (WEH) stretch between Andheri East and Dahisar, where the Metro 7 work is under progress.

Potholes everywhere
On Monday, when mid-day visited these places, it found that MMRDA's promises had completely fallen flat. A lane of the New Link Road stretch between Lotus petroleum in Andheri West and Behrambaug was found to be in a terrible condition. Not only is the road surface uneven, but it has also developed potholes at certain spots. Around 30-40 potholes were found on just a 200-metre stretch of the road, leading to traffic jams in the area.

An open pit on the Western Express Highway stretch between Andheri East and Dahisar

Even the service road of the WEH near Hub Mall in Goregaon East was in a poor condition. Along the median between the highway and the service road, a 2-3 feet deep pit has been kept uncovered with barricades around it. A visit to the WEH stretch between Goregaon and Bandra revealed that even though at certain places the road isn't uneven, potholes have already started appearing on the stretch. Even on the southbound stretch of WEH between JVLR flyover and Jogeshwari flyover, there are potholes at three to four spots.

Not working
Even though the MMRDA has tried to implement certain measures so that commuters are not inconvenienced during the rains, they haven't worked well. Places where Metro work is underway, they have pushed the barricades closer to the piers so that there is more space on the roads for vehicles. For instance, the barricades on WEH between Jogeshwari and Andheri have been moved close to the piers and the same has been done on the New Link Road between Behrambaug in Jogeshwari West and Inorbit mall in Malad.

Ajay Sawant, a commuter, said, "Travelling on the Link Road between Lotus petrol pump and Behrambaug has become a nightmare, thanks to the ongoing Metro work. It seems the authorities are waiting for a major accident to happen, as the stretch not only has potholes, but even water-logging is taking place."