The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) acquired the land in 2009 after a protracted fight with residents, many of whom sacrificed gardens and compounds for the project.
Nearly two years after land was acquired from local residents to widen narrow stretches of Nepean Sea Road, work on the road remains incomplete, say the area’s citizens groups.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) acquired the land in 2009 after a protracted fight with residents, many of whom sacrificed gardens and compounds for the project.
Last week, the Nepean Sea Road Citizens Forum (NSRCF) held a meeting to discuss the issue. They have also complained to the municipal commissioner about the condition of the road.
Residents said that after land was acquired for the road widening, the section was quickly paved to make it motorable. Farrokh Mehta, member of the governing council of NSRCF said, “The first paving was a temporary job. The 2009 monsoons damaged most of what was done. After the rain damage, the BMC kept repairing the road. After Diwali in 2009, we have been following up. We were asked to wait for the next budget.”
Dr Jehangir Sorabjee, a resident of the road said, “Due to constant makeovers, the road is bumpy and damaged.”
The NSRCF wrote to their MLA who in turn asked the municipal commissioner to look into the complaints. Vinay Punjabi, an NSRCF member pointed out the absence of a divider to separate opposing traffic. “There have been small accidents. I hope they are not waiting for a major incident to put up a divider,” said Punjabi.
Plans to widen the road in the section from 40-feet to 90-feet were made in the 70s. But it was only in 2009 that the issue of land acquisition was sorted out. The Sorabjee family, of which former attorney general Soli Sorabjee is a member, agreed to give away 450 sq mts of their land. Smaller parcels were acquired from other buildings.
“If the BMC had taken 10 feet less for the road, they could have maintained the tree line,” said Sorabjee. Assistant municipal commissioner of D Ward Chandrasekhar Choure was not available for a comment. But Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, “The BMC had agreed to start work. But the additional municipal commissioner in charge was transferred. The next officer too left. There is a new official. They have agreed to start work in a few months.”
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