Though police claim enough security measures are in place at the popular and perennially crowded Hill Road, DNA's survey of the area suggests otherwise
Bandra's bustling Hill Road, known for its eateries and clothing stores, attracts hundreds of shoppers from across the city. Being one of the most popular and populated shopping destinations in the city, it also makes Hill Road a vulnerable place for an attack.
An assessment of security measures at Hill Road conducted by DNA revealed that there is a need for upgradation of infrastructure and security in the area.
The long main road of Hill Road has plastic dividers tied together with rope, whereas in many busy streets of the city, the civic body has erected concrete dividers. If a vehicle loses control, there is a high possibility the vehicle may just slip onto the opposite side of the road and cause a serious mishap.
The footpaths are heavily encroached upon by hawkers, leaving bare minimum place for pedestrians to walk. They are therefore forced to walk on the roads, making them more vulnerable to an untoward incident. Footpaths also lack bollards that could deter any vehicle from running onto them in case of a mishap. In fact, on some stretches of the road, the height of the footpath is the same as the road, which again, is a cause of concern.
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While Bandra Police Station and the office of zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) are situated on Hill Road, shopkeepers and hawkers claim there is hardly any police presence seen on road.
"Police are seen only when there is a visit of a senior police officer or if there is an festival like the Mount Mary fair, Diwali, Eid, Independence Day or Republic Day. In the past, we have had several incidents of reckless driving wherein vehicles have driven onto footpaths. However, no major accident has occurred. With a large number of people shopping in the area and no concrete infrastructure and security mechanisms in place, we wonder how the police would be able to prevent a Barcelona-type attack from happening here," said Krishna Bishnoi, a shopkeeper at Hill Road.
Another shopkeeper, who wishes to remain unnamed, said, "They mostly communicate with us during the festive period wherein we are told stay alert and crowd control measures needs to be taken."
Bhingarde, a Jogeshwari resident who visits Hill Road once a month to shop, said, "It has absolutely zero level of security. It is as unsafe as any other place since there are road side vendors who occupy most of the space and the rest is occupied by shoppers. We can never guess what can happen."
Meanwhile, Bandra police claims that sufficient police security has been deployed at all the crowded places and the area is under CCTV surveillance.
"The beat marshall does a regular patrol of Hill Road. The safety and security of people has always been the priority for us," a senior police officer said.
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