Mumbai: Santacruz commuters face long-term inconvenience as mall encroaches on planned road

Santacruz residents have raised serious allegations against the Slum Rehabilitation Authority SRA claiming that key provisions of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations DCPR 2034 have been violated leading to potential longterm inconvenience for daily commutersAt the centre of the controversy is TPS 6 Road No 1 a proposed 1220metrewide road planned to provide direct access to Santacruz railway station to the local residentsAccording to the locals the entire stretch of the proposed road has been encroached upon by a private developer upon which a mall has been constructed ldquoThe construction of the mall has completely obstructed the planned road alignment defeating the very purpose of the sanctioned development planrdquo said Navneet Madan a local residentThe mall that residents claim was illegally built and which has become an obstruction to construction of a road to Santacruz station PicsNimesh DaveDue to the obstruction commuters who were earlier expected to benefit from a direct road link are now forced to use the PM Road to reach the station This road has been diverted and connected to Phirozshah Mehta Road further complicating accessResidents point out that under DCPR 2034 Development Control and Promotion Regulation 2034 diversion of roads is not permitted The regulations only allow realignment of roads within the same designated boundaries and even that requires due approvalsLocals allege that despite these clear provisions the SRA went ahead and regularised the mall which was originally constructed illegallyThey further claim that the road diversion plan was earlier rejected by the Development Plan Department DP department yet the diversion was implemented regardless Recently a part Occupation Certificate OC was also granted to the mall raising fears that the obstruction may now become permanent ldquoThe proposed road was meant to make our lives easier Instead we are now spending nearly 25 minutes and at least R40 per trip just to reach the railway stationrdquo said a local residentAccording to residents once the road is fully operational as per the DCPR norms pedestrians would be able to reach the station within five minutes by walkingWith the mall now standing on the proposed road alignment residents worry that restoring the planned access road may become increasingly difficult Citizen groups have demanded immediate intervention cancellation of the alleged illegal regularisation and strict adherence to DCPR 2034 warning that failure to act would set a dangerous precedent for urban planning violations in MumbaiResidents SpeakldquoNot establishing the proposed Road No 1 will lead to excessive inconvenience The road can help us reach Santacruz railway station by walking in 5 minutes However if the proposed road is not established we will be forced to take a longer route which is always jammed with traffic Additionally we will have to spend at least 20 minutes and spend R40 onewayrdquo said Ajit Ajgaonkar one of the residentsldquoDespite several complaints and even raising the matter in Vidhan Sabha the mall stands Also as per the MRTP Act SRA does not have the power to divert any roads They only have power to realign the roads and that too within the boundaries of the area Moreover whether diversion or realignment SRA must take suggestions and objections from the residentsrdquo said Ajay Desai another local residentldquoThe main question here is how was a proposed road encroached Post encroachment how was the builder allowed to construct a ground3 mall Post construction how was the illegal construction of the mall regularised The mall also received part OC We donrsquot understand who exactly should be blamed for thisrdquo said Sanjay Patkar another local residentQuestions raised with SRA How did the SRA approve the diversion of PM Road and its connection with Phirozshah Mehta Road despite the DP Department rejecting the diversion Why did SRA violate the DCPR2034 rules and regularise the construction of the mall by giving a notice to the developer and making him pay a fine Will the SRA demolish the obstructing mall to establish the proposed Road No 1SRArsquos response The 1220metrewide DP Road was realigned in the year 2017 as per regulation 114 of DCR 1991 by the then CEO of SRA subject to concurrence from BMC The BMC had given concurrence for the realignment on August 3 2019 The work was carried out beyond the Commencement Certificate but an approval was regularised by recovering the penalty R249 crore as per the prevailing policy Action is not warranted as the realignment of the DP Road has been done as per the regulation and the BMC had given concurrence for the same122 metresWidth of the road