Despite civic bodies' assurances, several roads in Thane and Kalyan have not been fixed yet
The uneven road at Sajanand Chowk, which Kalyan Ganesha mandals take for visarjan
“We have decided not to trouble our Ganesha this time,” said a mandal member, who along with several others in Kalyan and Thane is disappointed with the poor condition of the roads they take for Visarjan. The roads in the two cities remain uneven and pothole-ridden even though the corporations assured to fix them before Ganesha utsav, which begins in just three days.
Sajanand Chowk road in Kalyan is riddled with shallow craters and poses a grave danger to the thousands of devotees who take the route for the grand send-off. Ganesh Mandal from Shahad area, under the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), has witnessed a few accidents of their own people in the past, while heading for Visarjan. This year, they have decided to use artificial ponds at their home for Visarjan to avoid the pothole-ridden roads.
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Ramesh Jadhav, member of Navrang Krida Mandal at Shahad in Thane, said, “Every year we bring about 6-7-feet huge Ganesha idols, but last year our truck got stuck in a big pothole and it tilted. Our Ganesha idol suffered a crack and two children sustained severe injuries after falling off the truck. The authorities have failed to fix the roads, despite several requests. So this time around, we have decided not to give any trouble to our Ganesha.”
mid-day had earlier reported about Ganesh Mandals submitting a letter to Municipal Corporation Mayor, requesting to fill fix the roads before Ganesha utsav. But no action has been taken yet, alleged the members of the mandals.
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Shekhar Vaishvikar of Kalyan’s Tilak Chowk Ganpati, a 125-year-old mandal, said, “Ganesh idols, made of PoPs and similar materials, develop cracks whenever the vehicle carrying those travels through a road full of potholes. We are fed up of requesting authorities to fix them. Therefore, we have decided to bring idols at the end of the arrival day, once half of the potholes are filled as promised by KDMC officials. Traditionally, we used to bring our Ganeshas home a week in advance.”
KDMC commissioner Govind Bodke, however, assured that the roads will be fixed before the festival. “Our pothole filling work will get finished soon. No one will suffer,” he said.
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