MLA Murji Patel acts after report on abandoned vehicles under Teli Galli flyover

Abandoned vehicles rot below the Teli Galli flyover in Andheri East. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Following mid-day's May 26 report on abandoned vehicles piling up under the Teli Galli flyover in Andheri East, the local authorities appear to be taking swift action. Responding to the article, Andheri East MLA Murji Patel visited the site along with senior officials from the K East ward, the RTO, and the police department.

In a post shared on social media platform X on May 27, Patel stated, "Thank you for highlighting this. I personally visited the Teli Galli flyover site today along with senior officials from the K East ward, RTO, and police department. Clear instructions have been issued on the ground to address the situation with urgency. We are working to ensure that such sensitive public spaces are maintained with the safety and utility they demand."

The MLA's visit marks significant progress in clearing the area of the khatara (junked) vehicles that have been lying there for a long time. Residents had been raising alarms about the neglected stretch, citing both its eyesore nature and its potential to spark another fire.

With the MLA's response, locals are cautiously optimistic that change is coming. "We are happy that the authorities are making an effort to clean the area. If further steps are taken to convert it into a usable space instead of leaving it empty, we won't have complications like this again," said Dhaval Shah, director of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen's Association.

mid-day had reported in the story how the stretch beneath the flyover, which links the newly opened Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge to the Western Express Highway, had become an unofficial dumping ground for abandoned autorickshaws and two-wheelers. Residents had flagged a range of safety issues, citing a fire that had broken out at the spot a year ago.