New flyover, old problem: Illegal parking resurfaces on Relief Road days after opening

Fresh images on Wednesday showing the return of illegal parking and encroachments. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Days after Mumbai Traffic Police cleared Relief Road ahead of the opening of the Mrinaltai Gore Flyover extension, motorists and local residents allege that illegal parking and roadside encroachments have started returning to the stretch.

The road, which serves as the landing point of the newly opened 750-metre flyover arm connecting Ram Mandir Road and Goregaon West, was cleared of illegally parked vehicles and roadside garages before the project's inauguration.

Heavy vehicles were seen illegally parked along Relief Road in Jogeshwari West

However, commuters claim vehicles are once again being parked on the road during evening and night hours, while some small garages have resumed operating along the roadside. Residents fear that unless immediate enforcement action is taken, the flyover's intended traffic benefits could be undermined.

Why this road matters

Relief Road after traffic police cleared illegally parked trucks, tempos and other obstructions, days before the opening of the Mrinal Tai Gore Flyover extension arm. Pics/Ranjeet Jadhav

Relief Road connects
>> SV Road
>> Link Road
>> Jogeshwari West
>> Goregaon-Ram Mandir corridor
>> The road serves as a crucial dispersal route for vehicles using the new flyover extension

Before the flyover opening

On June 6, mid-day reported that Mumbai Traffic Police had cleared illegally parked heavy vehicles and roadside encroachments from Relief Road ahead of the inauguration of the flyover extension. Residents had welcomed the move, saying it would improve traffic flow and prevent congestion around the flyover landing point.

Before and after

June 5
>> Illegally parked vehicles removed
>> Roadside clearance drive conducted
>> Road space restored

June 10
>> Residents allege illegal parking has resumed
>> Small garages reportedly back on site
>> Concerns over future congestion

Official response awaited

Responses from Mumbai Traffic Police and the concerned BMC ward office regarding the allegations were awaited at the time of going to press.

Residents and motorists claim

>> Vehicles are being parked illegally during evening and night hours
>> Some roadside garages have resumed operations
>> Portions of the carriageway are again being occupied
>> Available road space is shrinking
>> Traffic movement could be affected

Motorists speak

Samrat Potdar
‘We would like to urge the local BMC ward office to take action against the small roadside garages that have begun encroaching upon Relief Road. We also request the Traffic Police Department to act against vehicle owners who have once again started parking their vehicles illegally on the road during evening and night hours. If timely action is not taken, illegal parking in multiple rows could resume, reducing road space and leading to traffic congestion and bottlenecks.'

Karan Jotwani

Motorist and Lokhandwala resident Karan Jotwani said, "We were pleased to see that the authorities had cleared the small roadside garages and illegally parked vehicles from the stretch between the Link Road junction and the starting and landing arm of the Mrinaltai Gore Flyover extension. However, within just a few days of the flyover's opening, vehicles have once again started being parked illegally on the road during the evening and night hours. Additionally, small roadside garages have resumed occupying portions of the relief road leading towards the Link Road junction, reducing the available road space for commuters."