Nullah-widening work on the eastern side of Bandra railway station was stopped last December, since then there has been no sign of it resuming.
There has been no progress in the nullah widening work on the eastern side of Bandra station since December last year. Pic/Shadab Khan
The eastern side of the Bandra railway station has turned into a commuter's nightmare, as even after three months of digging up the stretch, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows no sign of completing the Chamdawadi nullah widening work, which was halted a month ago. What have made the situation worse are the absence of the BEST bus service and closure of the skywalk.
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The eastern side of the station has been one of the busiest junctions of the city as it helps lakhs of commuters reach corporate offices in BKC, MHADA, Collector's office and the family court.
In November last year the civic body dug up the road in front of the station to widen the nullah, which overflows every monsoon and leads to water-logging on the highway and surrounding areas. The BEST bus services were stopped around the same time, as work had to be done under the road as well. However, the actual work started almost after a month on December 24, but was stopped after two days. Since then nothing has progressed.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a BMC official said, "The work was stopped due to some local issue regarding a structure in the area. Locals have already met the municipal commissioner regarding it, and it has to be sorted out by the higher officials. Till then the work won't progress."
While the BMC seems to be in no hurry to resolve the issue, commuters are facing immense trouble in commuting daily from the Bandra station.
Speaking to mid-day, Nutan Nerkar, who works in Bandra, said, "Commuting has become a nightmare due to the miserable condition of traffic on the eastern side of station. In the absence of buses, it takes almost half-an-hour to reach the family court. Since the stretch has been dug up, getting a share auto has also become a huge problem. She added that it was also not possible to walk on the footpath or road during rush hours.
Apurva Kadam, who works in BKC, shared similar feelings. She said, "Travelling between Bandra station and BKC has become extremely difficult. With the road dug up, autos take more time to navigate the area due to heavy traffic. Even we have to walk for almost 10 minutes to reach the nearest bus terminus. It is really frustrating."
"The road was dug up without thinking about what effect it would have on the area. Commuters are suffering. Authorities should look for an alternative. They can let minibuses ply in the area. But no one bothers to take the issue seriously," said Anil Trimbakkar, ex-corporator from Bandra.
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