Mid-Day Impact: BMC covers dangerous open drain near Sion station

Before: The uncovered drain Jayraj Bhosale fell into; (right) After: The fixed drain cover following the mid-day report on Friday. Pics/Ritika Gondhalekar

The BMC, on Friday, promptly reached Sion railway station in the morning, covered the drain with a new lid, and cleaned the area, all before 11 am, shopkeepers nearby confirmed. The open drain had become a major safety hazard for commuters. While the civic action has brought relief, commuters raised questions about why it took media attention for the authorities to act.

Action welcome

Jayraj Bhosale

Jayraj Bhosale, who slipped in the open drain and got injured
‘I am thankful that at least after the media highlighted the issue, the drain has been covered and the area has been cleaned. I hope no one else gets hurt. It is good that the authorities have finally taken action.'

Also read: Mumbai commuter injured after slipping into open drain outside Sion station

‘Why wait to act?'

Pratik Jadhav, commuter
‘Why does everything have to be taken up by the media before the authorities pay attention? This was a visible hazard in a busy area used by hundreds of people every day. It should have been identified and fixed during routine inspections.'

Nandini Keluskar, commuter
‘The BMC has policies and plans for maintaining roads, drains and public spaces. But what is the point of having these plans if implementation remains a problem? Authorities should not wait for an accident or a media report to act.'

Amruta Gokhale, commuter
‘The drain has been covered because someone fell in and the issue was highlighted. What about other dangerous spots that may not have come to the media's attention yet? The BMC needs a proper monitoring system.'