Mumbai's Monsoon check

Every year, Mumbai’s torrential rains bring respite from the monsoon, resolve the problem of water shortage and make the weather cool. But the entire picture is not as rosy as it seems. One is bound to experience problems, not because of the rains, but because of the pathetic civic conditions, owing to the lackadaisical attitude of the BMC, which only worsens during the monsoon. Shoddy work on roads, ill-equipped wards, a rise in the cases of dengue, and not-so-efficient disaster management helplines further toil Mumbaikars. Post a recent interim order by the Bombay High Court (that states that the right to good roads is a fundamental right of citizens and it is the state’s statutory obligation to provide good roads), citizens are hopeful that the civic body would now wake up from its slumber. This week, we scan a few wards and speak to the residents to gauge the wards’ monsoon preparedness.

Ward talks 

Devidas Kshirsagar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, D-ward, shares, “Most of the road work has been completed except for the junction near Grant Road railway station, for which work is still going on but will be completed soon. Desilting has been done for the entire ward, including the drainages. After conducting audits, the control room helpline for my ward is now ready and active.” 

Chandrashekhar Chore, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, A-ward, has not been responding to our calls and messages despite our following up with him for a week. Hence, we could not get an official update from him.  

Residents' opinion

Kanwal Shahpuri, Marine Drive resident: The work on the roads at Marine Drive is still going on and it is expected to be completed before the monsoon sets in. If there is a delay in its completion, as it typically is, then it may result in a mess since this is also the VIP route for Mantralaya. My suggestion to all those connected with road works is that they should be a little more proactive. All pre-monsoon work should ideally start much in advance and the work should be finished at least two weeks before the arrival of monsoon. Aren’t the roads made for all seasons and for at least a five-year duration? Then why start working on them just before the rains? Isn’t the upkeep of roads required all year round?

Pervez Cooper, Clean Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association: The roads near Maulana Ali Shaukat Road and the footpaths near Grant Road railway station are dug up and the work is going on, with the debris lying unattended. It is a sorry state of affairs and every year it is the same old story. Even though the BMC wards do a shoddy job, they get the contract for digging up the roads the following year. This has been going on for many years and there is no accountability as all seem to be hand in glove.
 

Subhash Motwani, Clean Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association: In Colaba, the Boman Cawasji Boman Behram Marg is a long road lined with speed breakers. It has also been dug up several times and filled up superficially. We may soon have a renaming ceremony, wherein it would be called the ‘pothole gully’—just wait for the monsoon. It is not just the dug-up roads; the ones that are fixed badly are more hazardous in the monsoon.