Colaba residents fume as BMC leaves road dug up, fixes it with paver blocks

MUMBAI: For two months, the BMC left a road dug up in Colaba under the pretext of carrying out stormwater drains (SWD) work and then botched it up further by laying paver blocks, claim residents.
On Tuesday, when TOI visited JA Allana Marg, the SWD pipeline work had been completed and paver blocks were being laid. Locals said repairs have been moving at a snail’s pace, causing inconvenience.

Subhash Motwani, president of Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association (CHCRA) said, “The BMC had decided to do away with paver blocks on all municipal roads. However, here we are seeing that after laying the pipeline, paver blocks are being put over it. The blocks have been so badly placed that they will definitely come off within no time.”

Another resident Pervez Cooper said that the SWD pipeline work has resulted in rubble being dumped on the adjacent footpath. “At the nearby Colaba Causeway footpath, hawkers have taken over the footpath, but here, civic works have made it impossible for pedestrians to walk,” he said.

Residents claimed the SWD work started in March but BMC officials said they started work only in April. SWD assistant engineer Chandrakant Godbole said a 600mm pipeline is being laid at a cost of Rs 65 lakh and the work needs a month’s time. “We should finish the work in two days. The road was laid with paver blocks before it was dug up, so we decided to reinstate it with the same,” he said.

The citizens woes, however, do not seem to end with this. The BMC has proposed improvement of the stretch and plans to take up repairs of the paver-blocked road soon after monsoon. Local Shiv Sena corporator Sujata Sanap said, “We plan to improve the road but now, there is very little time to do that. Hence, we decided to lay paver blocks now and start work after rains.”

Residents said that had the BMC planned the SWD work well in advance, the road could have been paved with asphalt before monsoon. “These paver blocks are inconvenient. The BMC should have relaid the road right now instead of again digging it up after monsoon,” added Motwani.

A senior citizen, Nina Malkani, said the situation of Oliver Road in Colaba is also the same. “The civic authorities have dug up the road since months now. We are getting sick due to the flying dust and are forced to keep our windows shut,” said Malkani