Replacing good infra a waste of time, funds

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The BMC has come under fire for encumbering pedestrians by replacing flat road dividers with raised barricades. The civic body has undertaken beautification projects worth Rs 1,700 crore, and replacing dividers is part of this endeavour. However, even dividers that are in good shape are being demolished.

A report in this paper stated that the BMC has almost demolished a central divider in Bandra West that was repaired as recently as 2021 and will install its replacement.

There were some complaints about a similar scenario in a small lane in Bandra, where residents claimed replacing dividers was unnecessary.

The report had several other spots in south Mumbai where raised barricades were up. There were also conflicting views, where some activists stated this hindered pedestrian access and authorities argued it was for the safety of people as crossing roads anywhere put them at risk.

We say that safety aspect aside, simply replacing good infra is a waste of time and funds, especially as it is taxpayers' money that is being used to revamp dividers which are in perfectly good shape.

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When a project is thought about, at the inception stage itself, we must have a vision for good quality work. If the infrastructure is in good condition, then it should not be replaced as work also causes problems and obstructions for people negotiating these stretches. It also irks locals who raise eyebrows about why the work, which has been recently done, is suddenly thought unsuitable and replacements are being done. This deepens the trust divide between civic authorities and people who believe rightly or wrongly that contracts are given to ‘favour' some.

Let both sides work in a climate of mutual understanding and respect as administrators and decision makers and those living in the city need to be on the same page.