Mumbai: No road in sight, but BMC plans to widen it

Yet another glaring error spotted in the BMC’s draft development plan (DP) for Mumbai raises questions about the land use survey carried out by the civic body, before it drafted the plan.

Yet another glaring error spotted in the BMC’s draft development plan (DP) for Mumbai raises questions about the land use survey carried out by the civic body, before it drafted the plan.

Residents of the Swashraya Co-operative housing society in Andheri (West) have written to the development plan department, pointing out that the draft DP proposes the widening of a road that does not exist in their area. What’s more, the non-existent road ends right in the middle of their society premises.

In the blueprint, the non-existent road that the BMC plans to widen starts from the SV Road crossing, passes through Fidai Baug, a residential society, a school, a hostel, and ends in the middle of the Swashraya building.

The Swashraya housing society stands next to Shriram Housing society on SV Road, where another road is proposed for widening. This road connects SV Road to Upasara Road, which runs parallel to SV Road.

Not only does the proposed road widening end in the middle of the society, residents feel it could pose a threat to the society’s scheduled redevelopment. “Our building is in a dilapidated condition. Many residents have already vacated their apartments, as redevelopment was scheduled. But the proposed DP could halt the process of redevelopment,” said Pritesh Gandhi, treasurer of the society.

Officials of the BMC’s development plan department were not available for comment.

This is not the first such discrepancy that citizens have pointed out in the draft DP, in which there are many instances of buildings and societies being mapped incorrectly, with no correspondence to the ground reality.

As per the procedure, the objection letter submitted by the society will be considered by the development plan department, and a hearing will be held.