Taxpayers' money being wasted: Activists

Citizen groups across the city said they are unhappy with the condition of the pavements. Some citizens have begun maintaining the pavements themselves, instead of waiting for the civic body to act.

Citizen groups across the city said they are unhappy with the condition of the pavements. Some citizens have begun maintaining the pavements themselves, instead of waiting for the civic body to act.

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Citizens in both south Mumbai and the suburbs complained that pavements have either been encroached upon or it is difficult to walk on them.

Activists complained about paver-blocks that have been displaced because of poor workmanship. “Prime areas such as Cuffe Parade, Colaba Causeway, Nariman Point, Jamnalal Bajaj Marg and Churchgate have bad pavements. Many senior citizens live in south Mumbai and walking on such pavements could be dangerous for them,” said Kunti Oza, chairperson of Clean Mumbai Foundation and member of the ‘A’ ward citizen federation.

As precautionary measure, ‘A’ ward citizens will repair and build footpaths on their own. “We have formed a team of volunteers who will supervise the work, which begins in October,” said Oza.

In central Mumbai, the situation is similar. “The poor condition of footpaths is mainly because of shoddy workmanship by the contractor, which leads to taxpayers’ money being wasted,” said GR Vora, member of F North ward (Matunga, Dadar, Sion, Antop Hill and Chunabhatti) citizen federation.