Despite mid-day highlighting the dangers posed to motorists and two-wheeler riders by a raised metal lid near Bandra railway station a fortnight ago, the authorities have failed to act. According to traffic cops posted at the junction where SV Road meets GR Varasakar Road, opposite Lucky Restaurant, about three accidents occur daily.
Moideen Peringalam, a Bandra West resident, told mid-day, “I avoid driving my vehicle on this road because of the metal lid. I have seen many accidents take place at the spot, but still, no action is being taken. It feels like the civic body is turning a blind eye to the problem.” Peringalam, who has been living in the area for almost 35 years, added, “This part of Bandra is always neglected by the authorities.”
Mushtaq Ansari, another resident, said, “I have been raising issues about potholes in Mumbai for the past few years, and the BMC [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] has always taken action, but when it comes to this lid, they seem to have a lot of communication problems.”
He added, “Last Saturday, around 2 am, when I was driving by, I saw a few BMC workers at the site, but they didn’t seem to have a clue regarding how to repair the patch. The duct is vital for ongoing work related to the Mumbai Metro Yellow Line 2B, so they can’t close it, and due to a lack of coordination between departments, they are not able to solve the problem.”
Traffic police officers posted at the junction said they were tired of messaging the BMC daily about the issue. One of them, requesting anonymity, said, “A few weeks ago, we saw an auto flip over. It is a terrible situation. We try our best to guide people around it, but every day at least one or two fall, and we run to help them up.”
Mohmmad Sameer, a rider, said, “A few days ago, I saw a couple get injured after falling off a bike. How has this issue been ignored for so long?” According to Sameer, the way things are going, a fatal accident seems inevitable.
Official Speak
When mid-day contacted the H West ward of the BMC, Dharmatejas Prasannadas, assistant engineer of the waterworks department, said, “There’s been a delay because we were planning a solution that would not cause any more issues. We believe the issue will be solved in a week, and commuters will no longer face any more issues.”
