Mumbai: Kurla subway cleared of garbage, gutkha stains following mid-day report

mid-day impact

Following mid-day's November 14 report about the lack of civic sense exhibited by commuters, and the appalling maintenance by the BMC at the newly constructed Kurla subway, the civic body swung into action by fixing problems at the underpass. Early on Wednesday, BMC workers cleared the garbage, painted over gutkha stains and installed the remaining exhaust fans for better ventilation.

BMC workers were seen fixing an exhaust fan at Kurla subway on Wednesday morning

On Tuesday, November 14, mid-day reported how citizens have defaced the Kurla subway (Took just two weeks to make Kurla underpass a royal mess) by littering and spitting on the walls and ceilings. Seepage was also spotted at the entry and exit of the subway. The report also mentioned how BMC has failed in its upkeep of the underpass, which it had constructed at a cost of Rs 9 crore.

Citizens must understand
A senior BMC official said, "On Wednesday, staff from the local ward cleaned the filth from the subway. Gutkha stains on the ceiling were painted. Work on installing exhaust fans was also started."

Following mid-day's report on the filthy Kurla subway BMC began cleaning it on Wednesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

He added, "Citizens should understand that the subway has been made for their use. We can understand if people have spat on the walls, but stains on the ceiling show that some mischievous persons have deliberately defaced it."

Jitendra Gupta, local and founding member of the Citizen Transport Committee (CTC), who highlighted the subway's problems said, "The subway was cleaned on Wednesday. The installation of the remaining exhaust fans has begun." However, he pointed out that the seepage has now started from multiple spots. "Seepage has been seen at two new spots. Surprisingly, all four seepage spots are near the new construction."

Also read - Mumbai: New Kurla subway took just two weeks to look like a royal mess

Regarding fixing the seepage issue, another official explained that on the eastern side of the underpass, there is a sunken well created for the collection of rainwater to avoid flooding in the area. Since the well is next to the underpass, there is water seepage on eastern side and western side of the subway. The official said, "The railway authorities are supposed to make arrangements for pumping out water from the sunken well regularly. If the water is pumped out, then the seepage problem will be sorted. The electrical works of the subway were also supposed to be done by the railway authorities."

Seepage CR's problem
An official from the bridge department said, "We have intimated the railways about this problem. Now, the subway has been handed over to the local ward for maintenance."

Also read: Construction of the Kurla subway starts, after a 14-year wait

Regarding the maintenance of the subway, Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant municipal commissioner, L ward (Kurla) told mid-day, "We have got a letter from the bridge department about the maintenance of the subway. On Wednesday, we have requested the Ganesh Temple trust to fund the CCTV installation under their corporate social responsibility, to which they've agreed. For maintenance of the subway, the bridge department has not given us any plan."

He added, "For cleanliness, we will appoint an agency soon. However, to temporarily curb spitting and littering, I have told the nuisance detectors to take rounds of the subway daily. The CCTV will also help us in catching repeated offenders who deface the subway."

Also read - Mumbai: Workers stumble upon skeleton at Kurla subway

When mid-day contacted the Central Railway's (CR) chief public relations officer Sunil Udasi, he said, "CR teams have already been working on activating water pumps on the eastern side so that the subway is not affected in any way. We have noted down all the suggestions from BMC engineers and are working jointly with them so that problems are identified faster and fixed."

Rs 9 cr
Approximate cost of constructing the Kurla subway

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