Naigaon’s only East-West link goes dark over unpaid power bill

The Naigaon road overbridge ROB an essential eastwest link has been shrouded in darkness for the past 15 days over unpaid bills of R836 lakh Local commuters as well as law enforcement agencies are facing significant difficulties as the 13km stretch in the northern suburb which was opened to the public in April 2022 remains shrouded in darknessThe longawaited important connector was completed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA on April 1 2022 After it was opened to the public the ROB was never handed over to the local Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC despite the civic officials writing many letters to the MMRDAApril 2022 The illuminated structure after development work was completed File picThe power distributor Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd MSEDCL official told midday that the MMRDA had not paid the bill since April 2022When contacted the superintendent engineer of MSEDCL Vasai Sanjay Khandare told midday ldquoThe MMRDA took the electricity connection on September 28 2022 but they have never paid the bill Though we had been pursuing this with the officials there was no response from them Whenever we approached MMRDA officials for the bill they would tell us that the outstanding bill would be cleared at the time of handing over the possession of the ROB to VVCMCrdquoThe eastwest connector bridge during the dayldquoWe also approached the VVCMC officials but they said the ROB has not been handed over to them The connection was taken by the MMRDA but they are not willing to pay the outstanding bill which is now R836 lakh So we had no other option than to disconnect the power supplyrdquo said KhandareRequesting anonymity a senior officer from Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar MBVV police told midday that antisocial elements may start to throng over the ROB ldquoAlso the chances of road accidents are high if there is no electricity on the road Even the CCTV footage is not clear at night We request the officials concerned to please help us maintain law and order in the area The electricity is important on the important stretch connecting Naigaon East and West Khandare said ldquoWe do understand that the darkness would cause a major inconvenience to the public at large But we waited for a long time before taking a final decision to disconnect the supplyrdquoLocals gather on the bridge in the darkness PicsHanif PatelMeanwhile the Executive Engineer of VVCMC Amol Jadhav said ldquoThe ROB is still under the control of MMRDA We have written multiple letters to the Executive Engineer MMRDA requesting them to hand over the ROB to us but they have not responded to us since the last 15 yearsrdquoA local resident Ashish Vartak said ldquoThe entire stretch is enveloped in darkness but the authorities concerned are not paying heed to it The stretch is gradually becoming a hub for antisocial elements as there is no light on the Naigaon ROBrdquo ldquoPeople have already started to sit on the road in a group to have a booze party Also the stretch has become a haven for couples whose safety is at riskrdquo said VartakA local fisherman Satish Dhondekar said ldquoI live in Naigaon Koliwada and we are in the fishery business Our tempos pass through the important connector which has been shrouded in darkness for the last few daysrdquoldquoThe chances of road accidents are always high in the dark stretch as there are sharp turns on the bridge We fear for the safety and security of our business and request the authorities concerned to do the needfulrdquo Dhondekar said A retired government employee Anil Surve said ldquoMany office goers take this ROB to return home after work We talk about road safety but how will it be safe if there is no electricity on the stretch Are we paying the taxes to face the darknessrdquomidday tried to contact MMRDA officials including the commissioner Sanjay Mukerjee but they did not respond to the calls or messagesHowever its PRO contacted the correspondent and sought two hours But despite the long wait the MMRDA PRO said ldquoI am trying to speak to my project in charge to get the details As he is hospitalised Also we spoke after 6 pm Hence I am requesting time so that I can reply to your queries as early as possible by tomorrow Thank you sicrdquoApril 2022Year since the bill hasnrsquot been paid