Metal covers installed over the ducts of underground utilities have been keeping Bandra residents up at night. Residents of at least eight areas have termed the covers poorly designed, stating that they are loose and rattle when vehicles pass over them, shattering the stillness of the night. Despite repeated complaints to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), residents have said that the only fix to their problem is a makeshift rubber tube inserted around the four corners of the covers, but these wear out within a few days due to traffic flow.

Sujata Kabraji, a resident of Perry Cross Road, said, “There are 14 to 16 covers that rattle throughout the night on Perry Cross Road alone. Every passing vehicle causes rattling to happen along the entire road. Even with our windows closed, we can hear these sounds throughout the night.” Kabraji complained to the civic body last month. “A senior official assured me that BMC would find a permanent solution. Meanwhile, staff inserted rubber tubes. At some places, they used fast-curing cement between the edge of the covers and the hole. This has reduced the sound to some extent, but has not completely taken care of the problem.”

Loose manhole covers at Bandra West’s Rizvi Complex. PIC/By Special Arrangement