Bandra West residents have slammed the methods used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to fix a sunken section of St John the Baptist Road over two months ago after a metal lid placed on top of the depression by the civic body got dislodged on Thursday, posing a threat to commuters and pedestrians. Residents first noticed that a portion of the road above an underground water pipe had sunk on July 14. Acting promptly, they placed markers and tree branches over the hole and contacted the BMC’s H West ward office. The latter proceeded to ‘fix’ the issue overnight, but residents allege that the work was done hastily.
“At first glance, we knew that the fix wouldn’t hold up for long, especially with the rainfall that was expected. Now what we had expected has come true,” said Floyd Gracias, an advocate and Bandra resident. The metal lid, which has hinges along the uneven border, was completely uprooted yesterday. A passerby, noticing this, put it back in place. But it was still protruding vertically on one side, creating a gap in the surface of the road. Residents have placed a wooden stick through a hole in the lid to alert motorists and avoid accidents.
The sunken section of St John the Baptist Road on July 14. Pics/By Special Arrangement
“What is the use of responding promptly and working on the issue overnight, if the ‘fix’ is going to fail in just two months?” asked Gracias. Agnelo Martins, another resident, told mid-day, “The depression is almost 3×3-feet in size, and a tyre can easily get stuck in it. During the daytime, people can notice it, but at night, we never know what unfortunate incident might happen if a two or four-wheeler gets stuck in the hole. It is an accident waiting to happen.”
“This issue could have been completely avoided if the BMC had done a proper job in the area. But their haste has given them more work now, which we don’t know when and how they will execute,” said Gracias. When mid-day contacted the BMC Ward H West ward about the issue, Assistant Engineer Mandar Chaudhary replied, “We are looking into the issue and are planning to have a more thorough approach regarding the repairs that need to be made with the opening in the John the Baptist Road. For now, we aren’t going to hurry and do the work overnight. I will send someone over to inspect the condition of the metal lid, then install a new one and give it proper time to cure.”
