Dug up and fed up: Roadwork chaos drives Mumbaikars nuts

Road works causing trouble at Marol. PIC/NIMESH DAVE

The continuous road works across the city have left residents frustrated with never-ending traffic issues, road closures, diversions, and a lack of safe space to walk. While they welcome the fact that these are development works aimed at improving the life of city dwellers, the disturbingly slow speed of finishing them, and poor quality of work leading to repetition of the roads being dug up, have mounted frustration among the residents.

Marol (Western Suburbs)

Residents of Marol have voiced frustration over the prolonged roadwork stretch between Marol Metro station and Bhawani Nagar, and Vijay Nagar, citing severe traffic congestion and a lack of visible progress. The construction, ongoing for over a month, came under scrutiny after locals observed that no labour activity has taken place in the past few days. With one side of the road dug up, the remaining narrow stretch has been converted into a two-way route, increasing the risk of accidents.

Residents Speak

Kiara Santis
‘Ongoing work can be seen on the Vijaynagar side. But whenever I have passed, whether morning or evening, I have not seen any work happening there. This is leading to huge queues of vehicles till Bhawani Nagar and on the road towards Marol Metro station. What would usually take us 10 minutes now takes at least 30 minutes during evening peak hours'

Gyanindra Mishra
‘I have no complaints against any individual or any particular body. It is the same situation across Mumbai. However, I request that we have a 5-10 year plan for every location in each ward, so that multiple diggings and duplication or triplication of effort could be avoided and the cost savings be used in other assignments'

Dongri (South Mumbai)

Residents say they have complained often, but to no avail

Nishanpada Road No. 9 has been dug up for the last two months, blocking the entire lane for vehicles as well as pedestrians. Several complaint letters written by residents haven't resulted in any positive response from the authorities, the residents claim.

Residents Speak

Ashfaque Ahmed Anwer Ahmed
‘We understand that the lines and cables need to be installed. But why do the workers not work around the clock and finish the work quickly? We see them simply sitting around at times'

Aslam Malkani
‘We have written letters and complaint emails to the ward office. What if the residents face an emergency? Neither a fire truck nor an ambulance can enter the lane or reach these residents via any alternative road'

Lokmanya Nagar (Thane)

Davle Nagarpada Road No. 3 has been dug up for over three months. Residents claim that the authorities haven't left any space for two-wheelers, and there isn't a footpath either.

Residents Speak

Reshma Gawde
‘This is the only road for me to drop my son to school. Every day, I am forced to make him walk on this uneven road. . Also, even though the road is in bad shape, bikers zoom past. What if we meet with an accident?'

Prajakta Kadam
‘We don't know why the road is dug up. We haven't seen any work happening - no cables, concreting, or water pipes. What is the point of digging up the road so much in advance?'

Kalbadevi (South Mumbai)

Fanaswadi-Anantwadi road in Kalbadevi

The Fanaswadi-Anantwadi road has been dug up, and residents allege no action has been taken despite several complaints.

Residents Speak

Vasant Handed
‘We can't take a cab as it cannot reach our homes, and cannot walk on the road either. It feels like we have been jailed. If concreting can be done in 15 days, why can't BEST finish the installation of cables at the same time?'

Hemendra Jani
‘We have filed complaints repeatedly with the BMC and BEST, and have also called the police. Unfortunately, no action has been taken so far. It's been a month since our day-to-day life has been disturbed'