No electricity for streetlights, a temple in the middle of the road... but the authority lists Jogeshwari-Vikhroli link road project as 'complete' in presentation to Chief Minister

The MMRDA seems to have failed to learn its lesson from the embarrassment it had caused Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan by making him inaugurate an unfinished cycling track at BKC in April.


There is no electricity for streetlights in many patches on the road

For, in a presentation on the authority's various projects in Mumbai, the MMRDA sought to mislead Chavan who is also its ex-officio chairman once again by claiming that the ambitious Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) project has been completed.

The ground reality, however, is that the street lamps on the Rs 111-crore link road don't have electricity in many patches yet and the contentious issue of relocating a temple in the middle of the road opposite the IIT at Powai is yet to be solved.

Admitting to the shortcomings, a senior MMRDA official, requesting anonymity, said,u00a0 "It has been over a year since we asked the temple authorities to shift to the plot we have allotted to them, but they are refusing to do so. Since it is a sensitive issue, we cannot even raze down the structure by serving them a notice."

"Also, due to jurisdiction issues and technical reasons, the power distribution agency has not connected lamp posts to the electricity grid in many places on the link road," he added.

Our findings
MiD DAY had reported in April ('Drive through the darkness on JVLR', April 26) on how driving on the link road was proving to be a nightmare for commuters due to the non-functional streetlights at L&T junction, Gandhi Nagar junction bridge and other places.

And, visiting the JVLR once again last week, we found that the streetlights were still not working.

A senior traffic police official from Saki Naka, too, complained about the problems caused to motorists and traffic constables because of the unfinished work.

The street lights are missing in many patches of the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road plunging it into darkness andu00a0a temple in the middle of the road opposite IIT Powai Read More Read Next Story Cops nab contract killer, hope to crack jail nexus› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT