Mumbai: Druggies, alcoholics, racers are Abhyas Galli's new students

The quiet lane near Poddar Hospital is popular among the student community PicBipin KokateIn Mumbai finding a peaceful stretch of road is like looking for a needle in a haystack So decades ago when a few students from the Worli neighbourhood discovered one such lane near Poddar Hospital it became their makeshift study room Eventually scores of students would converge here to study in solitudeTwo years ago the BMC recognised the lanes growing popularity among the student community and renamed the lane Abhyas Gali study lane Now the coveted title notwithstanding the stretch is slowly falling into neglect with rash bikers druggies and alcoholics disturbing the silence that it was once known forThe lane near Poddar Hospital in Worli was renamed Abhyas Gali two years agoDespite repeated complaints to the police the situation has remained unchanged for years In fact students alleged that the problem is only escalating with each passing dayIve been coming here for the past five years said Dhruv Korgaonkar 21 a second year student from Lala Lajpat Rai College I thought that after renaming of the lane the situation would change but the problem is only getting worse he addedRutile Sangle 19 who is preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission MPSC exam said that Abhyas Gali is the preferred choice for many due to lack of space in their own homes We dont have enough space in our house which is why I come here to study But couples and alcoholics now occupy the lane And almost every night theres bike racing in this lane Complaints to the local police station have also fallen on deaf ears he addedBikers use the stretch to race in the nightPolitical pressure hasnt helped resolve the problem either The lane has become noisy and students are finding it difficult to concentrate on their studies I have written to the senior police inspector of Worli and the traffic commissioner but no action has been taken yet said Abhijit Patil upvibhaag pramukh of Yuva SenaAccording to Patil Abhyas Gali is an important landmark of the city Former Mumbai mayor Nandu Satam who spent years studying under the streetlights of this lane said that he owes his career to this place Satam graduated in the 1960s Politicians who represent the area are no longer concerned about the history of this lane or issues faced by students Satam saidNandu SatamSudhir Mahadik senior police inspector at Malad police station also studied in this lane as a teenager I would spend the whole night studying here and never faced any problems he saidAdvocate Jagdish Sawant who was also a corporator in 2007 has fond memories of studying in Abhyas Gali It pains me when I hear about the problems faced by students studying here he saidSenior Police Inspector Gajanan Rama Desurkar Worli police station denied receiving any complaints from students We patrol the area daily An action is taken whenever there is any specific complaint But there has been no complaint recently he saidAmitesh Kumar JCP traffic said he wasnt aware of the specific complaint But I shall look into this nuisance at once and try to get it resolved Kumar saidTraffic commissioner Ashok Dudhe also said that he would look into the matter soonAlso Read Mumbai 12 cases of molestation on local trains