Matunga to Lokhandwala: Citywide road digging puts Mumbaikars at risk

Haphazardly excavated stretches across the city are not only an eyesore and nuisance for pedestriansmdashthey also hinder citizensrsquo access to emergency services which could have disastrous consequences midday reached out to residents whose safety is being compromised owing to roaddigging workBoth 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 lifeCENTRAL MUMBAI MATUNGA SION WADALA MAHIMRajyogi 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 midday visited the spot it was found that no proper safety arrangements were being followed during the workThe dugup section of Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagarrsquos Rajyogi Jaimal Singh Marg on April 6 FILE PICldquoThe whole scenario has made life outside the college a bit miserable causing untold hardships to pedestrians schoolgoing 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 orderrdquo 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 pedestrianEASTERN SUBURBS MULUND GHATKOPAR CHEMBURThere 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 affectedThe stretch outside MT Agrawal Hospital in Mulund West PICRajendra B AklekarldquoRoad 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 pedestriansrdquo said citizen activist Alka DandThe road outside the Wamanrao Muranjan Madhymik and Uchhamadhyamik Vidyalaya in Mulund PICRAJESH GuptaIncessant 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 earliestSOUTH MUMBAI COLABA CUFFE PARADE CHARNI ROADConcreting 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 ldquoMumbai roads are congested even when roads are not excavated Now dugup 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 1015 minutes to get from JJ Hospital to Bombay HospitalThe road outside the Wamanrao Muranjan Madhymik and Uchhamadhyamik Vidyalaya in Mulund PICRajesh GuptaBut 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 dugup 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 riskrdquo said Sampat an ambulance driverA N Bacchao fire marshal Nariman Point Fire Brigade said ldquoSmall lanes in the town area of the city have been one of the biggest challenges Also dugup 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 isnrsquot enough It is very difficult for our marshals to carry ladders and other equipment to reach the actual spot of the fire breakout This hampers our response times However swiftly we depart from fire stations dugup roads prevent us from reaching accident spots as soon as possibleBy 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 timerdquoWESTERN SUBURBS BANDRA ANDHERIResidents 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 downAbhijeet Sonone an Andheri West resident said ldquoThere 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 narrowrdquoAn excavated road at Lokhandwala in Andheri WestSome internal roads in SVP Nagar have been dug up for concreting work When midday 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 windowsAbhijeet Sonone who resides near SV Patel Nagar right Anil Menon a Lokhandwala Complex residentHe added ldquoIn 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 wonrsquot 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 emergencyrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params