Chandivali residents felicitate ‘brave’ motorists for plying on potholed road

Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder member, Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA), said, “We felicitated the citizens for their bravery. It takes courage for people to use this potholed road. The planned 90-feet road is nowhere to be seen. Additional commissioner P Velrasu in February told us that the work will begin in a month, but nothing has happened till July”

Mumbai: Frustrated with the pathetic condition of DP Road 9 in Chandivali and in a bid to highlight the civic body’s apathy, the residents of the area on Saturday morning felicitated motorists for their bravery to drive on the road which is full of potholes.

Sukhjit Singh Atwal, a resident from the area, said, “Besides the road filled with craters, encroachments like garages make the road narrower making it difficult for pedestrians to walk on the footpath, forcing them to walk on the road. The road is choc-a-block during peak hours.” (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

Kunal Yadav, a resident of Chandivali, who was felicitated with a coconut and a shawl, uses the road every day to reach his office. “This road should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes to reach the Eastern Express highway from Chandivali. However, now it takes 30 to 40 minutes owing to the potholes and ensuing traffic congestion. Encroachments on both sides of the road make the journey even more difficult. It takes 75 minutes to reach my office in Chembur. I can save at least 30 minutes every day if this road is seamless.”

Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder member, Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA), said, “We felicitated the citizens for their bravery. It takes courage for people to use this potholed road. The planned 90-feet road is nowhere to be seen. Additional commissioner P Velrasu in February told us that the work will begin in a month, but nothing has happened till July.”

Makkar added that the felicitation event was their way of highlighting the problems that residents face daily while crossing the roads. “We want to nominate DP Road 9 as one of the worst roads in Mumbai. DP Road 9 is a main connector road linking Chandivali Farm Road to JVLR. We will sit on ‘anshan’ (hunger strike) on August 15 if the issue is not resolved.”

Yogesh Patil, another resident from the area, said, “Currently it takes me around an hour to reach my office. This travel time will be reduced to half if the DP Road 9 is pothole-free, but there has been no action by the authorities on it.”

Patil, who was felicitated, said the patch can be crossed by foot in five minutes but takes 30 to 40 minutes by car. “With other internal roads shut, this is the closest way to reach JVLR,” he added

Sukhjit Singh Atwal, a resident from the area, said, “Besides the road filled with craters, encroachments like garages make the road narrower making it difficult for pedestrians to walk on the footpath, forcing them to walk on the road. The road is choc-a-block during peak hours.”

Residents also said that a patch of this road, opposite Powai police station is a wide four-lane road, but one side of the road is encroached upon.

HT in January had reported about residents’ demand for the 90 feet road and the pathetic condition of the DP road 9. The proposed 90 feet road in the BMC’s Development Plan connects Andheri to Chandivali Farm Road and further to JVLR.