Mumbai: Marine Drive residents seek underground cable ducts, flag safety and heritage concerns

Overhead cables criss-crossing buildings in South Mumbai. Pic/by special arrangement

The Marine Drive Citizens' Association has written to BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide seeking a meeting over what it calls a civic and safety hazard caused by unregulated overhead cables criss-crossing the heritage precinct. The association has sought underground cable ducts similar to those it says have been installed in parts of South Mumbai, including Kala Ghoda.

One incident residents remember

Gupta recalled an incident during the COVID period when a cable snapped and struck a neighbour's window. Gaurang Parikh, the neighbour, said: "The wire had one of those metal clips which clubs multiple wires, that kept hitting the window really hard, which was scary for us. We were lucky that no window was broken. These many cables are really unnecessary."

What local residents want

The demand:
>> Shift overhead cables into underground ducts and remove unused or abandoned wires

Concerns raised:
>> Cables strung between terraces and across buildings
>> Dangling wires, snapping and whiplash
>> Birds getting trapped
>> Technicians accessing buildings and terraces
>> Difficulties during building repairs
>> Impact on the Art Deco character of the precinct

‘Flying cables' over Marine Drive

Ashok Gupta, vice-president of the association, said residents were concerned about unattended cables and people entering buildings claiming to inspect them. "The cables have been left unattended in our area, and some, I believe, are also not in use anymore. Men come to the building claiming that they need to check the cables; now we don't know if they have any nefarious intentions, but how can we risk that." Gupta said underground ducts had been provided in other South Mumbai areas and should be extended to Marine Drive. "We have seen birds getting trapped by them, and wires snapping and swinging between buildings, posing a severe threat to people's lives," he said.

Association's letter flags...

Access: Unvetted technicians allegedly gain access to buildings and terraces for cable work
Safety: Snagging, dangling wires and cable whiplash could pose a risk, the association says
Repairs: Cables can obstruct building repair work
Heritage: The association says the cable network affects the appearance of the Art Deco buildings
Precedent: It points to underground cabling in Kala Ghoda and other parts of South Mumbai as a model

BMC Speak

mid-day contacted the A Ward, under which Marine Drive falls, but received no response by press time.