Navi Mumbai’s Turbhe residents demand reconstruction of pavements

Residents of Turbhe in Navi Mumbai claim that the pavements in the entire area are in a bad shape and if requisite measures are not taken soon, more people would meet with accidents

The residents of Turbhe are miffed as the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is turning a blind eye to the old and crumbling pavements in their area.

One of the pavements in Turbhe, Navi Mumbai, that is in a bad shape. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

A 38-year-old pedestrian fell in the gutter below after a huge chunk of pavement gave in at Sector 19 last week. That man suffered minor injuries in the accident and was later taken to a nearby hospital.

The local residents claim that the pavements in the entire area are in a bad shape and if requisite measures are not taken soon, more people would meet with similar accidents.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) developed those pavements in the 1980s, before they handed over the area to NMMC. No major repair has been conducted by the civic body after that.

Dheeraj Jadhav, 37, a resident of Turbhe, said, “As these pavements have not been repaired for years, they have gradually started giving in. You can see such crumbling pavements along the Palm Beach Road, near Turbhe Store, and along the roads that lead to the APMC market. From an economic point of view, this is a crucial place as thousands of people come to the markets here from different places of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

“On Saturday, a young man met with an accident and he came out of the gutter without much difficulty. Had it been a child or a senior citizen, the scenario would have been quite different. So, taking the seriousness of the issue into consideration, NMMC should do something in this direction as early as possible.”

Manoj Patil, executive engineer of NMMC (Turbhe division), said, “We have plans to reconstruct the pavements of the whole area and have already sent a proposal to the civic body. The work will be started soon after we receive approval for the same.”