Bhattipada Junction in Bhandup widened, giving hope for smoother traffic flow

Shinde said they were faced with the expected opposition to the demolition, but they were forced to act for the betterment of the neighbourhood. Notices were given, an annexure was made of the shops, and checks were conducted - a process that has taken over two years

Mumbai: Residents of Bhandup will know Bhattipada Junction as a problem patch, where 500 meters took 20 minutes to wade through for vehicles at peak times. This is set to change, as the BMC on August 31 demolished 64 structures, most of which are 40-year-old shops, at the side of the road to widen it.

Mumbai, India - September , 02, 2023: The Mumbai Bhandup Bhattipada Road area, a very narrow road, and was always suffering due to the traffic, so the houses and shops have been demolished by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation to widen ( widening) the road ,in Mumbai, in Mumbai, India, on,Saturday, September, 02, 2023. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

A force of one poklen, three JCBs, six dumpers, 10 officers, and 49 workers carried out the evictions and demolitions. The Bhattipada junction is essential for movement to Khot Marg, Gadevi Marg, Jangal Mangal Marg, and Bhattipada Marg.

“The work of collecting the debris and pruning the trees is ongoing,” said Mahadev Shinde, assistant commissioner of the S ward. “After that, the residents will see a massive improvement in traffic.”

The widening is expected to ease up traffic struggles faced by residents of Tembipada, Gawdevi, Anthony Church, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Lake, and those heading to the Bhandup and Nahur railway stations.

Shinde said they were faced with the expected opposition to the demolition, but they were forced to act for the betterment of the neighbourhood. Notices were given, an annexure was made of the shops, and checks were conducted - a process that has taken over two years.

Yet, on the day of the demolition, BMC officials visited the shopkeepers in the morning and gave them a four-hour deadline to clear their shops. Santosh Kharat, a resident, whose friend’s shop was demolished, said, “They had given notices in the past, but it was never confirmed.”

Another shopkeeper, Kishor Pawar, with a vegetable shop, confirmed this, saying notices had been given repeatedly a few days prior. He revealed he did not have proper details about the compensation and had doubts that the BMC would be giving the plot to a builder who would then give them space in the new construction. Till then he would find a temporary alternative, although he expressed that he and the other shopkeepers were not inclined to shift permanently elsewhere.

While Kharat and his friend managed to clear up the stock and are currently storing it in a rented room, he hoped they had been given enough time to make arrangements for the move. Yet, Kharat conceded that the road widening was needed. “The road would be jammed and take 20 to 25 minutes to get through, especially in the morning and evenings,” Kharat said.

“We have offered the shopkeepers alternative accommodation, but they did not want that. We have now given them compensation letters, but they have not accepted them yet. It’s their choice if they want to or not. The compensation will depend on the size of the shop,” said Shinde.

The shopkeepers can collect the compensation by showing their Aadhar and Pan cards. Kharat said that his friend would accept the compensation and find an alternate place for his shop.

The residential structures offered will be given alternative accommodation. A few residential structures remain, but as they are not directly in the way of the road, said Shinde, they will be demolished after the monsoon.