Mumbai roads just got a little safer for motorcyclists

The authorities have properly levelled some roads and fixed manholes after midday reported about the death of an 18yearold woman pillion rider after the bike slipped on an iron sheet on the SCLR at Kapadia Nagar Kurla The following day this paper conducted a survey across the city and found many such spots that were deadly for bikersThe spot pictured on November 14 File picFollowing the midday reports the authorities finally woke up and fixed the stretch of the Santa CruzChembur Link Road SCLR near Kapadia Nagar in Kurla West where the 18yearold woman had died The MMRDA removed the iron sheet and changed the manhole cover and also levelled the road A similar spot was found on the Western Express Highway WEH during this paperrsquos survey on November 15 A huge sheet of metal was loosely placed on one half of the road On Monday midday found the sheet gone Iron sheets and improperly manhole covers were found temporarily fitted on roads at various places in the city like SV Road and Link road Motorcyclists had complained of the dangers the sheets which were placed instead of fixing the road pose to themlsquoIrreparable lossrsquoAnju Vidyanand Sahu a resident of Kalina was crushed under a dumper truck after the bike she was riding pillion on slipped on November 12 His brother Vikas 20 who was riding the bike survived Speaking to midday on Monday Vikas said ldquoOn the day of the accident there was a plain iron sheet on the road but later on it was replaced with one that had grips The authorities responsible cheated the police to save themselvesrdquoAn improperly fitted iron sheet is seen on the WEH in Goregaon East on Nov 15 File picldquoOne blunder by the authorities cost us huge Ours is an irreparable loss They might have tried to mend their mistakes by taking deadly iron sheets off the city roads but my sister will never come back Now at least the lives of many others would be savedrdquo ldquoThe department which had ordered iron sheets to be placed on roads to conceal its dilapidated conditions must be severely punished We demand justice for my sisterrdquo Vikas addedmidday tried to contact the MMRDA commissioner but he was unavailable This newspaper had also reported about the sheet on the road near Haji Ali but it has not been removed yetMotorcyclists relievedViraj Ghanekar a motorcyclist said ldquoIt is really good that the authorities woke up after a series of midday reports as it was really heart wrenching to know that the woman died because the bike skidded on the deadly iron sheetrdquomidday found the sheet gone and road fixed on Monday PicSatej ShindeAnother motorcyclist Pratik Kedar said ldquoWhy the authorities need to be poked to work diligently It is good to know that the deadly iron sheets have been removed from a few places after midday reports but we should also demand that the responsible department is severely punished for placing those metal sheets on roadsrdquoNaresh Gaddam said ldquoI have been riding my motorcycle to the office every day After the fatal accident due to a deadly iron sheet my parents suggested that I not go to the office on bike fearing for my life So I have given up riding and taking the bus or train but it is time consumingrdquoSome scepticalLalit Jayakar another motorcyclist asked ldquoHave the roads where iron sheets were placed to hide the potholes been repaired properly or will a minor shower expose the authoritiesrsquo work I hope it does not cave in when heavy vehicles cross over the spot where cosmetic work has been done to hide the potholesrdquoSince the fatal accident of Sahu midday has been trying to find out which department or official ordered placing of iron sheets on city roads but the MMRDA chief spokesperson is not willing to reveal the details The spokesperson keeps reiterating ldquoWe have to find out with our team membersrdquo ldquoWe will look into this matter and take precautions so that such incidents are not repeatedrdquo Eknath Shinde minister of Urban Development and Public Works