NMMC’s bypass plan to decongest Koparkhairane-Ghansoli road faces residents’ ire

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) plan to decongest Koparkhairane-Ghansoli main road by constructing a ₹3.5 crore bypass road through the internal sectors of the node has drawn stiff opposition, especially from about 10,000 residents of sector 14

Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) plan to decongest Koparkhairane-Ghansoli main road by constructing a ₹3.5 crore bypass road through the internal sectors of the node has drawn stiff opposition, especially from about 10,000 residents of sector 14.

NMMC’s bypass plan to decongest Koparkhairane-Ghansoli road faces residents’ ire

As per the preliminary plan chalked out by the civic body, a supplementary road has been proposed alongside the open drainage channel in sector 11 that will pass through Mahalaxmi temple in Sector 14.

Resident welfare associations (RWAs) of sector 14 have begun drafting an action plan to get the project cancelled. “The internal roads of sector 14 are already congested due to the illegal parallel parking by private vehicles like school buses and tempos. As a result, the approach road to our sector has limited space for movement of vehicles. If this proposal gets implemented, then the residents will face a huge problem in future,” Avinash Vasudevan, 39, secretary of one of the RWAs, said.

The project came to light after Shiv Sena deputy leader Vijay Nahata spoke about the bypass road project during a get together with residents hosted by corporator Suryakant Kachare last month. The project was intended to reduce the traffic congestion on the main road linking Koparkhairane to Ghansoli. “The corporator of the ward has envisioned ways to address traffic congestion in the node and construction of a bypass road alongside the nullah is one of the proposed plans,” Nahata said.

The announcement made the resident associations to dig out for more information. “We got more clarity and were surprised to see that the administration has already plotted the construction of the alternate road on the nodal map. This is a clear indication that the administration was serious about the project, which is done without seeking residents’ consent,” Vasudevan said.

On Sunday, around 160 residents attended a meeting to discuss the way forward to object to the project. A signature campaign within each residential society will be the first step. The residents will also write a letter to apprise the municipal commissioner about the issues likely to be posed by diverting traffic through the internal roads.

“The NMMC might achieve decongestion of the main road, but the security issues we are likely to face is not being considered as elderly people take stroll on the internal roads,” another resident said.

Having sensed the resistance from the residents, the corporator has decided to oppose the proposal. “I was informed about the issues residents of my ward will face due to the project. Therefore, I have raised my objection to the project,” Kachare added.

Officials from the NMMC’s engineering department said that the project is required to go through administrative approvals first and suggestions and objections to the project will be taken into consideration.