Despite HC no, NMC continues to install fibre-based speed breakers

Nagpur: Even after a year of high court’s order, all 10 assistant municipal commissioners have failed to remove fibre-based speed breakers installed by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
Despite the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court’s objection to the installation of fibre-based speed breakers, the civic body not just failed to remove them but instead continued to install new ones in many localities including on internal lanes.

Recently, fibre-based speed breakers have come up at new places including two on internal lanes along Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall and in front of Seventh Day Adventist School in Sadar etc.

None of the speed breakers match the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines. Speed breakers are very less in width compared to the wheelbase of two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Also, the hump and height is also less than what has been recommended.

In the past, the HC had ordered the NMC and other concerned departments to ensure removal of speed breakers that did not conform to the standards laid down by the IRC and approval of district road safety committee headed by collector. However, the NMC and other departments failed to comply with the orders following which lawyer Raghvendra Joshi filed a contempt petition and it forced the NMC to remove 887 of the total 984 fibre-based speed breakers.

On April 29 last year, the then NMC’s chief engineer Ulhas Debadwar had directed all municipal commissioners, citing the contempt petition, to remove all speed breakers which do not comply with the IRC norms. But no efforts have been taken to remove the fibre-based speed breakers.

NMC’s executive engineer (traffic department) DD Jambhulkar confirmed that the high court had directed to remove all the fibre-based speed breakers across the city limits as they do not comply with the IRC norms. He said his office has stopped issuing permissions to install fibre-based speed breakers. According to Jambhulkar, his office is giving permission to construct only tar-based speed breakers as per IRC norms.

The NMC’s traffic department had constructed 102 speed breakers in last one year. On the contrary, the traffic police issued no-objection certificates to 67 applications by the NMC seeking permission to construct speed breakers this calendar year. Last year, the cops had given green signal to construct 133 speed breakers on both internal and major lanes.

Motorists said speed breakers laid are not of proper quality. “I noticed damaged speed breakers at many places in New Sadar area and informed the zone office,” said Rahul Walke, a resident of Mecosabagh. Now, the damaged speed breakers are causing mishaps, he pointed out. Most of the roads having speed breakers also lack sign boards. It can be gauged from the fact that in the last one year, the civic body had installed sign boards at only 21 spots.

A senior police inspector said traffic police had issued an advisory urging residents to not to construct speed breakers without mandatory permissions.

The DCP office, however, has received no applications to install fibre-based speed breakers in Civil Lines or Sadar area, confirmed the senior PI. Municipal commissioner Ashwin Mudgal assured to look into the matter.