Locals slam civic body for dismantling yet another pavement, endangering citizens; officials say measure is temporary
The footpath of Road No. 3 that has been dug up for sewage treatment plant work in Santacruz. PICS/RITIKA GONDHALEKAR
For residents of Santacruz, losing a footpath has become an all-too-familiar story. What was once a convenient walking stretch for hundreds of pedestrians is now a dug-up mess of debris, cables, and open drains.
This time, another pavement in the heart of the suburb has been torn apart, allegedly to facilitate civic work. And while officials and contractors have promised to rebuild it once the work concludes, residents say they have little faith left in these assurances. “Every time they break something, they say it’s temporary. But we have seen how long ‘temporary’ lasts in Mumbai,” said Ajit Ajgaonkar, who uses the same road daily.
“It’s been several weeks since the footpath on one side of Road No. 3 has been dug up for STP [sewage treatment plant] work. And today [Wednesday], they began demolishing a footpath on Road No. 1, which is connected to Road No. 3, meaning both streets have walkways only on one side, and even these pavements aren’t very accessible, as people from the garment industry park their vehicles on them,” he added.
Pedestrians at risk
The dismantled footpath runs adjacent to a busy internal road that connects to the Western Express Highway. During rush hours, vehicles zip past the narrow stretch, leaving barely any space for pedestrians. Residents say the absence of a footpath has turned a daily walk into a safety gamble.
“It’s a complete nightmare for any resident. Morning and evening hours are chaotic. You have cars, two-wheelers, and tempos all trying to pass through a single lane while people are walking on the edge of the road. One wrong step, and it could be a disaster,” said Rupa Badkar, another resident of Town Planning VI Scheme, the area where footpaths are being demolished one after the other.
Residents further questioned the need for the civic body to take up more work before finishing previous tasks.
“We don’t even know if they will rebuild the footpath of Road No. 3, where they say they are doing some STP-related work. In that now, they have started demolishing the footpaths of Road No. 1 to conduct concreting work. Firstly, the current road is in good shape and does not need to be demolished and remade into a concrete stretch. Secondly, they said they would do drainage work, make footpaths, and then begin concreting, which does not make sense at all. Also, they haven’t put up mandatory details, such as the starting and ending date of road work and contractor details,” said Ajgaonkar.
Concerned about schoolgoers
An under-construction BMC school is located barely a few metres away from the dug-up spot. Once completed, it is expected to cater to hundreds of students.
Locals fear that without a proper footpath, the safety of young students will be at constant risk.
“How can you build a school but not ensure a safe walkway for children to reach it?” asked Vivek Prajapati, who lives in an adjacent slum area.
“Many people from our chawl will prefer to send their children to this school, considering it will be closer. But if the roads approaching the school do not have proper footpaths, won’t it be risky for the children?” Prajapati questioned.
‘We’ll reconstruct it’
When contacted, an assistant engineer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s H West ward said the work was part of a larger ongoing civic improvement project. “The footpaths have been temporarily removed. Once the work is completed, the pathways will be reconstructed,” the official claimed.
However, locals say such promises are often made but seldom fulfilled. “We’ve seen this before. They break one thing, and by the time they get around to fixing it, something else comes up. A road that was concreted before the monsoon season is still missing a footpath,” said Ajgaonkar.
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