Amid BMC-MHADA blame game, lights go off on Mahim skywalk

According to Ataul, parts of the skywalk lights go dim regularly. “I suspect it is the work of drug peddlers and those who sleep on the skywalk. Why else would the lights keep going dim?”

Mumbai: One year after the lights on the Mahim skywalk, connecting the station to Dharavi in the East, have been intermittently working in parts, the bridge has gone dark.

Mumbai: Dharavi - Mahim Skywalk Story photo, at Dharavi, in Mumbai on Thursday, 17 May 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande)

“For at least the past 15 days, none of the lights on the skywalk have been lit. It is pitch dark to walk through in the night,” said Ataul Khan, an activist. “It doesn’t feel safe to walk on anymore, so I’ve been using the path below even if it is crowded.”

According to Ataul, parts of the skywalk lights go dim regularly. “I suspect it is the work of drug peddlers and those who sleep on the skywalk. Why else would the lights keep going dim?”

This is a possibility, according to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) engineer who did not want to be named. Ataul’s complaints on Twitter have only ever led to temporary fixes, only for another portion of the skywalk to go dark in some time.

This time around, however, all the lights of the skywalk have gone dim, posing a problem for the many people using the skywalk going and returning from work. Walking the bridge is particularly a problem for women and families with children. He has sent an email complaint to the chief minister, BMC municipal corporator, BMC officials, officials of Maharashtra Housing and Urban Development Authority (MHADA) and officials of state government.

According to the BMC, this is not their fault. “The Mahim skywalk is still in the possession of MHADA. They have sent a letter to the BMC’s bridges department regarding handing it over, but they’re awaiting a reply. Further, we’ve learnt that the electric meter of the skywalk is disconnected by the BEST due to outstanding payment,” said an engineer from the BMC. The civic body has instructed MHADA to solve the issue at the earliest.

However, a MHADA official said, the BMC are reluctant to take over the skywalk. “MHADA’s job was to build and handover the skywalk,” he says. Till the handover is complete, MHADA is responsible for the lights.

“Last year when I complained on Twitter, the BMC and MHADA kept blaming each other for the lights. The lights need to be fixed first, and then a security guard needs to be deployed to ensure the illegal activities stop and the lights aren’t disconnected again,” said Ataul.

Khan Faiz, 34, cashier at a private company in Kandivali heads back to his home in Mahim around 1am. “I need to take the skywalk from the station as it connects to my locality. For one week, there is no lighting, and it is a major problem because it is very likely that people will bump into each other or even trip on the ones sleeping.”

Mohmmed Imran Shaikh, 37, businessman, said with no lights, the skywalk becomes a place for people to drink alcohol and unsafe for passengers. “This issue is not recent; the lights have been erratic for a long time. The lights should be repaired as it is a passage for schools, offices, etc. Moreover, if they are functional, it will be safe for women and children to travel.”