HT Monsoon Audit: Are Mumbai’s roads ready for monsoon?

As part of HT monsoon audit, an expert panel, comprising two former engineers with the civic body and two citizen activists, surveyed the work on six important link roads on June 3

As part of HT monsoon audit, an expert panel, comprising two former engineers with the civic body and two citizen activists, surveyed the work on six important link roads on June 3. Their verdict: work is much better compared to last year

BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR ROAD (BA ROAD)

The road, which starts at Sion and goes till CST, has many spots such as Gandhi market and Dadar TT that are prone to waterlogging. In case of a heavy downpour, pedestrians often have to wade through waist-deep water. The civic body has been carrying out repair works on this stretch from the start of 2015.

“Considering the BMC includes it on the list of chronic spots, the road should have been given more attention. All minor drains connect to the Bharat nagar nullah, which is often not cleared, leading to waterlogging. This leads to flooding in Gandhi market too.”

Nikhil Desai, an activist from Matunga

Rating: 6/10

VN PURAV MARG

The road, which starts Chunabhatti and ends at Panjarpol circle, is an important connecting link to the suburbs. Illegal encroachments have come up near Rahul nagar and Subhash nagar nullahs that run below the road.

What the HT panel found: The work on a patch above the Rahul nagar nullah has been going on for the past three years. At the time of the visit, too, the work wasn’t completed. Experts said the road needs to be widened for smoother traffic movement.

“The road work can be planned much better and the ongoing work can be completed swiftly using more manpower and technology.”James John, an activist

Rating: 5.75/10

SION-MAHIM LINK ROAD

Traffic snarls during peak hours are common on this east-west connector. Bottlenecks are formed as the road work on the connecting road has been pending for a while.

What the HT panel found: Even after eight years, the work on a bridge near Dharavi is in the initial stage, said experts. The material stacked on one side of the road makes it look like a scrapyard.

“A bridge at the spot had collapsed a few years ago. The road works still seem to be in its initial stages. The condition of the road needs to improve for the benefit of citizens.”DK Phatak, retired engineer from the solid waste management department of BMC

Rating: 4.75/10

GHATKOPAR-MANKHURD LINK ROAD

The link road starts from the junction on the eastern express highway and connects to Mankhurd. It also connects to the south-bound arm of the eastern freeway. It runs parallel to slums in the Govandi-Mankhurd stretch.

What the HT panel found: The work on concretization of some parts of the road was in progress at the time of the visit. The condition of the service road towards Ghatkopar was bad. The road is being used for illegal parking.

“The service roads need to be put to use and the broken drain covers need to be replaced. The water exits need to be cleaned to make the drainage system better.”James John, an activist

Rating: 6/10

ANDHERI-KURLA LINK ROAD

The road starts from Kurla and connects to the western express highway. The link road sees major traffic snarls, as it is one of the roads connecting to the airport.

What the HT panel found: Although the quality of work seemed satisfactory, experts pointed out the paver blocks in some parts were in poor condition. These paver blocks slow down traffic on either side of the road.

“The quality of paver blocks used for work is not good. It needs immediate and better replacement.”DK Phatak, retired engineer from the solid waste management department of BMC

Rating: 6.75/10