Mumbai: 3 weeks after cave in, BMC yet to repair road

A picture taken by a local shows a rickshaw stuck in the portion of the cave in

While the BMC missed the deadline to repair the cave in on a road near Metro Cinema before PM Narendra Modi's arrival on Tuesday morning, they did manage to make it operational after 4 pm. But at Versova, where a road caved in on June 5, despite contrary claims, locals allege the BMC's repairs are on slowly. Interestingly, BMC's chief hydraulic engineer Ashok Tawadia says he is unaware of the incident.

The Fisheries University Road at Seven Bungalows connects J P Road to Yari Road and there are many residential colonies along it. The road is also an important internal link from Yari Road to Seven Bungalows.

A local said the Fisheries University Road is an arterial road and as only one lane of it is operational until the repairs, there is a traffic jam on it. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Locals rescue driver, passengers
On June 5, a portion of this road next to Sanjeev Enclave building had caved in, and a rickshaw got stuck in it. Fortunately locals came to the rescue of the driver and passengers, and no one suffered serious injuries.

The pictures of the incident taken by a local and in possession of mid-day, show the rickshaw dangerously stuck in the caved in portion. It can be also seen that there was waterlogging in the location. Immediately after the incident, the BMC closed the road for traffic, but even after three weeks the repair work is yet to be completed.

'When will road open?'
A local resident, Tanaji Koayate said, "By now the BMC should have completed the repair work. Just three-four days back they restarted the repair work, which shows how serious they are. The Fisheries University Road is an arterial road and as only one lane of it is operational, there is a traffic jam on Yari Road and other internal roads causing a lot of inconvenience to locals and motorists."

Another resident, Niharika Jaisinghani said, "The road has been closed since the cave in and we have no idea how long it will take for it to be opened. This was one of the two main roads leading to Versova and Yari Road. The residents of Versova and Yari Road are battling with heavy traffic on a daily basis since it was closed."

Water pipeline burst
While the locals claim that there is a delay on the part of BMC, Shiv Sena shakhapramukh of the area, Sudhakar Ahire said, "There is a big water pipeline below the road, and in the first week of June, it burst, resulting in the cave-in. A rickshaw got stuck in the caved in portion, but our Shiv sainiks rescued the driver and two passengers immediately. The hydraulic engineering department was immediately informed and they started repair work, but later it was found that there was another puncture in the pipeline few metres away, and that portion was repaired which is why there is a delay in completion of the work."

Official unaware
BMC's chief hydraulic engineer Ashok Tawadia said, "I am unaware of the road cave-in at the Fisheries Road in Seven Bungalows and will have to check with concerned officials before commenting." Locals fear that if the repairs are not carried out properly then there might be another cave in.

Also read: Mumbai: BMC loses race against time, Narendra Modi uses MG Road

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates