04 January,2015 06:43 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
The Public Works Department is yet to repair a footpath near the Raheja Township in Malad, a month after power supply lines were laid down
Public Works Department, PWD, repair work delayed, Raheja Township, Malad, Mumbai news, Mumbai, footpath repair delayed, power supply lines
Residents staying near the Raheja Township in Malad, adjacent to the Western Express Highway (WEH) are a disgruntled lot. They allege that the Public Works Department (PWD) has not repaired the footpath that was dismantled for excavation work to lay down power supply lines.
The benches have been replaced on an uneven surface in Malad
The local corporator has complained about the same several times, but the PWD is yet to begin repair work on the footpath, for which they have allegedly received the money from the power company. With no footpath, the pedestrians face a lot of inconvenience, specially those who come for morning or evening park, as even the benches which were removed during the excavation work have not been replaced properly.
Gyanmurti Sharma, BMC corporator of the area, said that residents of the area are facing a lot of inconvenience because of the unavailability of the footpath. "When the footpath was demolished to carry out the work of laying the electricity line, we knew that the same would be repaired by the PWD, but it's been over a month now and nothing has been done. It should be noted that the WEH comes under the jurisdiction of the PWD and it is their job to carry out any repair work on the same. If any other agency wants to carry out digging or excavation, then it has to take permission from PWD.
On Friday, mid-day visited the Western Express Highway (WEH) north-bound stretch near Saibaba Mandir in Malad and found that approximately 150-200 metre stretch of the footpath is in a bad shape. The benches have been placed haphazhardly and there is an accident waiting to happen if somebody slips on the uneven surface.
Sharma added that they have complained to PWD but the authorities are yet to take action. "I have complained several times but it seems they are not concerned," he said. Despite several attempts, PWD Executive Engineer BB Lohar remained unavailable for comment.
