As part of our sustained campaign on the menace of paver blocks, MiD DAY brings you a list of the city's most deplorable pavements, with paver blocks to blame for their scarred appearance
In the past few weeks, MiD DAY has travelled across the city to bring back shocking images from the city streets where paver blocks have wreaked havoc around utility chambers and busy junctions, making the stretches difficult to walk past and impossible to drive over.
But it’s not just the roads and junctions that the paver blocks have destroyed. While these blocks are designed specifically for pavements, they don’t seem to do a good job of keeping them intact either.
Paver blocks dug up for repair or installation of utilities have rendered these pavements a nuisance rather than an amenity for pedestrians. It wasn’t hard to find 10 footpaths in the city that are particularly scarred and treacherous to pedestrians, thanks to ill-maintained, dismantled paver blocks.
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The footpath near Haji Ali
Fancy a walk after some prayers at the dargah? Don’t. Devotees making their way towards Mahalaxhmi station frequently use the stretch, but the broken and dislodged paver blocks make it quite a challenge. The ongoing repair of utility lines running underneath forces most pedestrians onto the streets, where traffic is a menace.
Pics/Bipin Kokate,u00a0Satyajit desai,u00a0Amit jadhav
Anil Varma (48)
Lakhs of tourists visit Haji Ali, especially on Sundays and holidays, all of them using the same footpath. People take their aged parents or young kids. So it is necessary that the footpath isclean and clear of debris. The local authorities should take care of this. u00a0
JP Road, Andheri
The residents of Andheri have for long been complaining about the pavements on which they can never enjoy a leisurely walk. It all started during the construction of the Metro rail, when broken footpaths became a permanent feature of the roads. The footpath that leads from Andheri station to Versova was in a deplorable condition. Little has changed since, and the ongoing work on the footpath means that they cannot be walked on. The stretch near the Andheri Sports Complex is so damaged that passers-by are forced to walk on the main road, sharing the stretch with cars, buses and other vehicles.
Rupali Desai (26)
I use this footpath almost daily and wonder why BMC officials don’t see what I see. Why can’t they complete the task once they take it up, instead of leaving it hanging like they have? The BMC should not wait to receive complaints from citizens every time, before they do their job.
The Lamington
Road footpath
This is a very busy stretch, especially on weekdays, with a school nearby. The uneven patches and broken paver blocks force the pedestrians to watch every step. The authorities seem tohave forgotten to place paver blocks on the edge of the footpath.
Laxman Lambore
It is a busy road on working days. School kids too use this footpath, but it is dangerous. The local ward office should repair it,as there is a bus stop nearby and commuters also use this footpath to wait.
Near Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi
If you plan to walk to Siddhivinayak Temple from south Mumbai, this stretch may be unavoidable, but paver blocks strewn all along make the walk a difficult and dangerous one. Passers-by here prefer taking the road to walking on the footpath, making its existence futile. As if this is not bad enough, the footpath has a huge gaping crevasse that has not been repaired for months.
Dheeraj Srivastav (27)
The BMC should keep inspecting footpaths on a regular basis. This spot has been as it is for the past three months, since before the monsoons. The local ward office should repair it.
Juhu
Most pavements in this area, near Jalsa, are out of bounds for the pedestrians, thanks to broken pavers that are strewn all over the stretch. The ups and downs on the footpaths are so numerous that pedestrians prefer to share the road with buses and vehicles, at the risk of making themselves vulnerable to accidents. The civic body seems to be unmoved by the presence of many of the city's rich and famous in the vicinity.
Sumit V (20)
I suppose that because all the roads are dug up around them, even the footpaths are in a terrible condition. I usually use this footpath while going to college, and noticed that utility chambers have been dug up on the footpath. Our path is interrupted bybroken, dug up paver blocks every five steps.
The footpath near Mahim Causeway
On this arterial road near Mahim, which is packed with traffic during peak hours, almost all the paver blocks on the pavement are broken, and the utilities are in a sorry state. A foul odour emanates from the Mithi, making it impossible for the residents to walk on that footpath. The footpath is mostly deserted, with pedestrians giving it a wide berth and choosing to walk on the road, in spite of the danger of being mowed down by the passing traffic.
Anil Mahadik (42)
Many times, I have read in newspapers that politicians and officials went to foreign countries on their ‘study tours,’ but I don’t understand what they learn. Why can’t they make roads and footpaths similar to the ones in the countries they visit?
The footpath near Parel station
Walking on these busy footpaths has become a nightmare, as they have either been taken over by hawkers, or are in particularly bad shape with broken paver blocks and debris dumped from the construction work underway on the roads. On the arterial road that connects the east and west of Elphinstone station and is used by lakhs of commuters every day, the footpath has not been repaired for many years.
Devendra Nagothnekar (39)
It is a very busy footpath with a very high footfall. If the BMC cannot give us clear roads and footpaths, they do not have right to collect taxes from us.
The footpath outside Bandra Talao
The transformation of Bandra Talao into a safe haven where they can walk and relax is now a distant dream for local residents. Forget a morning walk, even the walk to get from one point toanother is now a problem. The footpath near the tank has broken paver blocks scattered in every corner, forcing pedestrians to look out with every step to keep from falling. Their only other alternative is to walk on the road, where there is heavy traffic atany time of the day.
Anandini Thakoor
We have been asking the BMC to give us a new improved Bandra Talao and they have failed to do so. Now, even the footpaths are scarred because of the dismantled pavers. The BMC should fix it up at the earliest. Why do they have to wait for a newspaper or an activist to bring these things to their notice?
The footpath near E Moses Road, Mahalaxmi
The footpath is a nightmare, thanks to the usual suspects like broken paver blocks and uneven utility chambers. Adding to the chaos are railings that were installed many years ago and are completely broken. The presence of various commercial institutions means that the area is always teeming with office goers, who have a tough time making their way to work on these broken paver blocks.
Rajesh Bobade (39)
Lakhs of people use this footpath, as many offices have shifted here. Office-goers get off their trains at Mahalaxmi railway station and come by this route. This footpath is always in bad shape and dangerous to walk on/p>
The footpath near Thakurdwar junction
The authorities seem to be in no mood to repair the paver blocks, as there are issues with the utility chambers on this footpath. The footpaths were dug up 20 days ago, but no work has been done so far, claim residents. The broken and dug-up footpath has sand, and a protruding utility chamber.
Sudam Thakur (85)
The BMC has not done anything for many days. I use this footpath regularly: what if someone like me fell down on this uneven footpath? Is the BMC waiting for some untoward incident before they do their job? u00a0
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