Lokhandwala residents are at their wits’ end over heavy girders placed on the back road over three years ago that have been endangering lives ever since
The I-section girders placed along the Lokandwala back road. PICS/SHADAB KHAN
Residents of Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri West have flagged serious civic and safety concerns linked to the ongoing Metro construction, alleging that construction material (girders) dumped along the stretch of road near Lokhandwala has damaged road surfaces and is also causing inconvenience to the pedestrians, including morning and evening walkers. Locals claim repeated complaints to the Mumbai Metro authorities have not yielded any results.
The Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA) has written to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee and other officials in this regard. The email to authorities also mentions that despite making complaints to the authorities concerned, no one has acted to resolve the issue.
Apart from causing inconvenience, the girders have resulted in the area becoming filthy
The email states that over a dozen I-section girders have been occupying a stretch of the Lokandwala back road since 2023, with around 350 metres of road length and two lanes blocked. “The site has become a mosquito breeding ground with trash dumped inside the crevices,” it states, adding that the entire road surface has potholes due to the nails dug in when barricades to carry out work were put up.
Aarush Jotwani, 19, fitness enthusiast
“The bridge over the Mogra nullah has been shut for access from one side since 2023. It has been over three years, and still your girder launching hasn’t been completed and no traffic marshal has been stationed at the spot to conduct smooth flow of traffic. Also, the road surface wasn’t maintained, and we had to go to the media to get the road free of potholes,” the e-mail reads.
The I-section girders placed along the Lokandwala back road. PICS/SHADAB KHAN
‘Huge safety risk’
Vinati Makijany, 37, Lokhanwala resident
‘This stretch has been left in a concerning and unsafe condition. The exposed concrete and trash are not only an eyesore but also pose a safety risk, especially as speeding vehicles have increased the likelihood of accidents. As a resident of Lokhandwala, I find this situation alarming and sincerely hope it receives immediate attention from the authorities concerned’
Aarush Jotwani, 19, fitness enthusiast
‘The stretch from the new MHADA towers to Second Cross Lane has been encroached upon by Metro girders, forcing me onto the carriageway. I feel extremely unsafe with speeding vehicles approaching from behind, and I fear for my life’
Sunil Athale, senior citizen and Indralok Society resident
Walking along the Lokhandwala back road has become a daily struggle due to the Metro girders lying unused for more than three years. Hawkers have occupied the space next to the girders, and vehicles are parked alongside, leaving hardly any room to walk. Every day, I fear being hit by passing vehicles. The authorities must remove these girders urgently’
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