BMC has no funds for road repair in Kalina

The megalopolis is reeling under unprecedented pressure-environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, bad roads, lack of water, improper sewage lines, encroachment on footpaths, high priced housing and growing population.

In less than a month two road cave-ins at Sunder Nagar, Kalina have made residents to demonstrate against the inefficiency of BMC. A little over a week ago, a bus carrying about 40 children, almost tumbled into a huge crater caused by a cave-in. This led to panicky amongst the children and led to children falling over each other. However, the bus driver bravely managed to extricate the bus from the pit. For over a month now, residents of Sunder Nagar have been a witness to one of their arterial roads caving in, part by part. But, to their dismay, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has categorically stated that it doesn’t have funds to repair it.

This implies that the panicked residents will have to wait till the civic body arranges for funds. A member of the ‘Save Garden & Neighbourhood of Sunder Nagar (Ext) Association’, (SGNSNA), said, “The BMC has been very lethargic in maintaining the road... After the first road cave-in surfaced we immediately informed the BMC but they lent a deaf ear to our complaint. Secondly, despite the second road cave-in took place we once again informed the BMC to take action but they refused to our heed”, said one of the member.

Later, while contacting an official from the H/E ward, he clarified and replied, “The repair work is going to cost us around Rs 4 lakh. At the moment, we have no funds to repair the road because none have been sanctioned. We have now asked the local corporator if she can sanction the work from her own funds.” However, Alice Therattil, corporator, Ward No 84 too did not heed and said she was out of funds, since she has utilized almost all her funds in development work in her constituency.

According to the official, the road, an asphalted one, was built just four years ago, by the civic body’s storm water drain department. The official added that a culvert under the road may have caused the cave-in. “There must have been some leakage that caused the foundation of the road to be eroded, as a result of which the road caved in,” he said.

Similarly, a road in Vakola caved in on last week also because of leakage in the underground water pipeline. Around peak morning hours, a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru Road near the Vakola Bridge, that was covered by paver blocks caved in. Civic employees detected it before any mishap occurred. Civic officials said a small stretch of the road, measuring four feet, developed cracks and caved in. On excavation, civic employees found a cavity underneath.

AL Waghralkar, assistant municipal commissioner said, “A 6-inch underground water pipeline was leaking, that lead to a cavity underneath.  Civic employees noticed it and took preventive measures to restore it.” The pipeline was repaired and the road was reopened on Wednesday.

 “These cave-ins can be prevented if old underground utilities are replaced. The civic body doesn’t even have an underground map of all the utilities,” said an official from the road department, on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media on this issue.