Blocked footpath forces Tagore Road residents to walk on narrow road with heavy traffic

When HT did an on-ground recce, it found that the newly made footpath was damaged by the ongoing construction, the patch of the footpath had 4-5 security guards deployed by the builder who had made a tent on the footpath and the site also had a vehicle parked on the footpath

Mumbai: Residents of Tagore Road in Santacruz West are living in constant fear when they step out of their homes. They are forced to walk on the narrow road where vehicles are parked on both sides, with a constant flow of traffic, putting their lives at risk.

Mumbai, India - January 12, 2023: Tagore Road at Santacruz (West), in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, January 12, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The two-lane road, which runs parallel to the SV Road, sees vehicles plying throughout the day. The Tagore Road currently works as an alternate route to the SV Road due to ongoing metro works in the area.

The road, which has a banquet hall, a school, a temple and a construction site is a busy route.

On December 25, 2022, HT reported about an FIR being lodged against a builder for blocking the Tagore Road completely by deploying heavy cranes and a huge truck without any prior permission from the authorities. The former corporator from BJP, Hetal Gala has highlighted the issue in the past and said the builder has also damaged the footpath, for which she has asked BMC to act.

Mangesh Shinde, DCP Traffic (West) had said that the work was stopped and legal action was taken by the Santacruz traffic division and Santacruz police station. The senior inspector of Santacruz police station, Balasaheb Tambe also confirmed the development and said an FIR had been lodged.

When HT did an on-ground recce, it found that the newly made footpath was damaged by the ongoing construction, the patch of the footpath had 4-5 security guards deployed by the builder who had made a tent on the footpath and the site also had a vehicle parked on the footpath.

Sunay Gandhi, a resident of Tagore Road said, “We have no problems with builders constructing new buildings in the area, the problem is that the ready-mix cement trucks that come to the site are parked in such a way that part of the truck is in their property while the remaining half is on the footpath, blocking the entire footpath. This forces kids and other pedestrians to walk on the road. The road is already narrow and sees heavy traffic in peak hours morning and evening.”

“There has been no design followed in the way this footpath is made. The footpath is at a place where there are already trees. If somebody has to walk with a stroller, it is impossible to use the footpath.” added Sunay.

“I am not against the environment but the trees that are blocking the footpath and causing a risk to the life of people should be shifted elsewhere. The already narrow footpaths in the area are also encroached upon by the hawkers in the area. The hawkers near the school block the complete footpath, there are hawkers near Tilak Road as well that force people to walk on the already narrow road.” said another resident, Anand Nene.

HT also found that despite having an odd-even parking rule on the road, the road had vehicles parked on both sides at some places and some residents had also put-up cement blocks and bricks on the road reserving the road space for their parking.

The banquet on the narrow road leads to further jams in the area. Residents allege that the banquet’s team set up a table on the road and provide valet parking to their guests, during events. The parking leads to further jams in the road, especially in the evening when a huge number of school buses pass from the nearby area.

“There are people that park vehicles in front of building gates, sometimes we have to ask them to not block the road. The Tilak Road, which connects Tagore Road to Santacruz West railway station is a very narrow road with no footpath, however, it sees heavy traffic, and despite complaints, the banquet staff and other people park their vehicles on this road. My mother is now 80 years old and she fears going out now because of the way this lane has traffic and no footpath.” said Sejal Gandhi, a resident of the area.

HT tried reaching out to the assistant commissioner of H West Ward, we sent multiple text messages to Vinayak Vispute, explaining the to him the issue, he however, did not respond to the messages or calls.”