For motorists in Mira-Bhayandar, death is lurking around the corner

Contractors have neither put-up warning signs nor erected barricades to safeguard riders, which has led to several mishaps and accidents

Mumbai: For the residents of Mira-Bhayandar, the daily commute is a matter of life and death; no exaggeration there. With more than 80% of main and arterial roads in the twin-city riddled with potholes, lying with deep trenches and half-baked concretisation, commuters, especially school-going children and senior citizens, are facing immense hardships while navigating these fatal traps.

Potholes, trenches and half-baked roads: For motorists in Mira-Bhayandar, death is lurking around the corner

To add to their woes, the contractors have neither put-up warning signs nor erected barricades to safeguard riders, which has led to several mishaps and accidents at these spots and shows glaring insensitivity by the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation towards public safety.

Falling in the jaws of death

Recently, a 64-year-old woman, riding a pillion with her son on a two-wheeler, fell from the bike and hit her head on the road after their vehicle hit a pothole. The woman, Varsha Mehta, sustained grievous injuries to her head and was declared dead. Varsha’s son Diven said that he had decided to take the interior roads instead of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway due to the traffic jam. “I did not realise that the condition of the roads was this bad. My decision to take the interior roads of Mira Road proved to be fatal for my mother,” said Diven.

Three days after this incident, a car driver was severely injured when his vehicle got stuck in the gap between two concrete roads which were left unsupervised at Kanakia junction, Mira Road. These are not isolated incidents --- there are several minor and major accidents reported from the twin city and yet these potholes are not filled, and unfinished concretisation sees no sign of completion for over the past several months.

Repair works move at a snail’s pace

With the monsoon season fast approaching, a major cause of worry for the residents is the incomplete construction work of cement-concrete roads at various spots across the twin city which can turn into potential threats during heavy rains. Residents have been complaining about the discomfort of navigating through these half-baked roads. Residents say that the civic body has either abandoned construction work or is moving at a snail’s pace. According to former corporator Om Prakash Agarwal, the MBMC has not planned the concretisation and a lack of coordination between MBMC and MMRDA is evident. More than 80% of roads are dug up in Mira-Bhayander which include newly built asphalt roads which are also a part of the concretisation project.

“There are several anomalies causing distress and inconvenience to residents,” said Agarwal. “I have been raising these issues constantly but MBMC has been ignoring them,” added Agarwal, who claimed that despite the official’s claims, the work will not be complete till the rainy season which would cause more problems and accidents.

Pradeep Jangam, a social activist said that despite orders from the chief minister to complete the work before June 4, the civic body has shown least interest in fast-tracking the construction work. “The incomplete work had posed a grave danger to life. Moreover, the pollution due to construction work has caused health issues amongst the residents,” said Jangam.

No accountability

While for residents, the potholes and deep trenches are turning out to be a nightmare, it doesn’t seem like the civic body will complete the road works anytime soon. When contacted MBMC city engineer Deepak Khambit, he said that the roads have been dug up for several utility purposes like gas pipeline repair work, etc. “We will stop the work from June 4 and then recommence them in August. We are hopeful of completing the concretisation work by May next year,” said Khambit.

In order to increase the pace of the work, the MBMC officials say they imposed fines collectively amounting to around ₹10 lakh on nine private contractors for compromising on quality.

Apart from regular inspections by engineers, municipal commissioner- Sanjay Katkar has been personally monitoring the quality of work by conducting random checks before approving the bills raised by private contractors. “The contractors have been asked to take steps to ensure the work is done efficiently. The civic administration has also warned that if the contractors failed to mend ways, their contract will not only be terminated, but the company will be liable to face permanent blacklisting,” said a civic official.

Khambit said that during the inspection they found that many contractors involved in the construction of cement-concrete (CC) roads have failed to install enough barricades and warning signages on road work sites, jeopardising the safety of motorists and pedestrians. There are set conditions in the contracts which have been violated,” said Khambit.

Residents say they have lost all hopes from MBMC as the civic body has no accountability. “A comprehensive planning is needed for city roads to be smooth but it seems there’s zero accountability among the civic officials and they are certainly not taking this issue seriously, despite several accidents.”