Vehicle ramps razed in Santacruz East to improve footpaths

Building ramps within housing society premises was not possible due to paucity of space, said residents

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) move to make footpaths in Santacruz East pedestrian-friendly has drawn the ire of residents. At least 12 vehicle ramps in the area, cutting across footpaths, have been razed without any consultation to housing societies, said residents. Given the considerable height gap between housing society premises and the road, residents are unable to take their cars even in times of emergency, they said.

Given the considerable height gap between housing society premises and the road, residents are unable to take their cars even in times of emergency, they said (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

“We’re trying to make footpaths pedestrian-friendly, as per standards of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC),” said additional municipal commissioner, Abhijit Bangar. “We can’t have footpaths wherein the slope completely dominates it.”

But Santacruz East residents alleged they were not even informed about the decision to raze the ramps leading from their buildings to the road.

“Work on concretising storm water drains and roads in our area, TPS 3, began around a month ago,” said Paresh Vora, treasurer, Santacruz East Residents Association (SERA). Since the drains were located beneath footpaths, when footpaths were razed along with the ramps, residents assumed they would be built back once concretisation work was over.

Residents of some buildings even approached the contractual staff undertaking the concretisation work to address their concerns. “The site supervisor told us that ramps would be built back once the work was completed,” said Dhaval Vasi, secretary, Nandini building. “Now, he’s backtracking.”

In another case, the supervisor claimed they had been instructed by BMC officials to rebuild footpaths in a level and uniform way, without any ramps. “It is easier for pedestrians, including senior citizens and the disabled to use the footpath when it is at a level,” said the supervisor.

Some housing societies in the area, such as Shanti Kuttir, received letters from the contractor regarding the commencement of work that left them in further disarray.

“You are hereby requested to make ramp arrangements within your premises so as to improve the aesthetic appearance of the road, and so that the new footpath policy can be implemented,” the letter read.

Alarmed, Shanti Kuttir residents approached the contractual staff and asked them about the new footpath policy under which ramps were being razed. Though they did not get any answers about the policy, the ramp in front of their building was spared the axe, for the time being.

Building ramps within housing society premises was not possible due to paucity of space, said residents. SERA pointed this out in a letter to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, BMC’s roads department and the contractor.

The letter, dated February 21, questioned the razing of ramps in the name of “aesthetic improvement” and “new footpath policy” while other encroachments were left undisturbed.

“In most cases, ramps cannot be moved inside because there is simply not enough passage space in the compound, and it will block access for emergency vehicles. It will also require major structural modifications to the entry gates, compound walls, requiring exorbitant expenses which societies cannot bear,” the letter stated.

While some housing societies have built makeshift mud ramps over freshly concretised footpaths, those in areas where concretisation work is yet to begin fear their ramps would also be razed.

Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar acknowledged that while the BMC was committed to making footpaths pedestrian-friendly, housing societies which had a big height difference with the road and lacked space for ramps within their premises had a genuine problem.

“We do need a middle-ground solution and I will have a BMC official come and inspect the conditions at these spots to see what can be done,” he said.

Bangar also clarified that no new footpath policy has been framed yet. The new policy was first mentioned in BMC’s budget, and ₹100 crore was earmarked for it. Even then, no details were furnished about the policy and what it entailed.