Citing the excuse of security, the Trident hotel in BKC has taken control of a public lane
Citing the excuse of security, the Trident hotel in BKC has taken control of a public lane
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While security of individuals is of paramount importance, can private entities usurp roads meant for public use?
This is exactly what has happened in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), where hotel Trident, located in the G block area of the complex, has, citing the excuse of security, effectively taken over a public lane in front of it's gates.
Currently, the hotel's security staff that mans the usurped lane is asking motorists and pedestrians to use an adjacent lane.
When Sunday MiDDAY visited the area, we found that hotel had also installed barricades on either side of the lane so that security checks of vehicles entering the hotel could be conducted. The adjacent lanes was, however, open for motorists.
When contacted, MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar said, "We will look into the matter and appropriate measures will be taken." According to an MMRDA official who did not wish to be named, the barricading has been done since December 2009, when the hotel opened.
However, according to the hotel spokesperson, the hotel has not restricted the public from using the lane. The hotel's spokesperson said, "We have the agreement of the local enforcement authorities to enhance control and security measures along the periphery of our hotel.u00a0 However, we do not restrict the public from using this road. Only vehicles that enter our hotel, travelling on the lane, are asked to undergo a brief security check."
Motorists' versions, however, do not quite add up to the picture being painted by the hotel spokesperson. A motorist who had recently visited the area, Suraj Alva, said, " I was on my bike and I took the road which leads towards the hotel. The security guards stopped me and said that entry on the lane was restricted."
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