Use powdered rock on either side of Aarey road to avoid mishaps, Mumbai residents suggest

THE BEST bus that got stuck in mud after veering off the main road at Aarey Milk Colony, on Sunday. Pic/Raj Jadhav

Concerns surrounding the main road of Aarey Milk Colony, under the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), show no signs of being addressed. Vehicles continue to get stuck in the soil on both sides of the concrete road, raising the risk of accidents. Residents are now calling for murrum soil (powdered rock) to be used on either side of the road to prevent further incidents.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Shakha Pramukh Sandip Gadhave said, "I've repeatedly pointed out the corruption involved in constructing the CC [cement concrete] main road inside Aarey Milk Colony. We've all seen the cracks that appeared on the newly built CC road there."

He added, "Another major issue that threatens motorists is the use of regular mud instead of murrum soil on either side of the road. The BMC-appointed contractor should have used murum soil to ensure vehicles that veer off the road can easily return, but instead, they've used regular soil, which turns marshy when wet, causing vehicles to get stuck."

In the past, there have been several instances where vehicles and two-wheelers have got stuck in the wet sticky mud on the either side of the main CC road in Aarey milk colony.

Sunday incident

A BEST bus headed for Goregaon via the Aarey main road got stuck in mud just before the Chhota Kashmir lake on Sunday. Fortunately, an accident was averted.
"The bus was tilting slightly to the left. Thankfully, no one was injured, but this raises serious concerns. Are the authorities waiting for a major accident to occur? Two-wheelers, three-wheelers and even cars could easily turn turtle if they veer off the road at a high speed and land in the wet, sticky mud. Will the BMC take responsibility if an accident happens?" Gadhave said.

The Aarey main road also does not have footpaths on either side because of which the chances of pedestrians meeting with accidents are high. As there are no speed breakers on this road, motorists tend to drive at a very high speed.

The BMC began the concreting of Aarey Colony's main road from Goregaon junction to L&T junction in Powai in 2022, with a completion target of 2025. The 4-km section from the Western Express Highway has already been finished. The total budget for the 7.2 km road is Rs 51.6 crore.

Every morning and during peak hours, the main Aarey Milk Colony stretch from the VIP guest house junction towards Powai sees traffic jams. Every year, during the monsoon the condition of the road from the VIP guest house junction up to the picnic point junction is ridden with potholes and daily commuters feel that the need of the hour is to convert this road into a cement concrete one.

2022
Year concreting of Aarey main road was started