Mumbai: Locals to install 41 light poles at Old Cuffe Parade road

Safety comes first and citizens must be ensured of that with good lighting

Literally putting the light into the festival of lights, a pedestrian empowering project has taken off at Prakash Pethe Marg (old Cuffe Parade). Locals have been instrumental in getting lights installed along a stretch of road which was earlier in almost darkness.

Bella Shah, one of the prime movers of the project, said, "At least 41 new light poles will be installed on the stretch roughly from Badhwar Park to ahead of President hotel. The light poles are double-pronged. They will light both the pavement and road. This is huge for pedestrian safety especially. The Bhoomi poojan (ground breaking ceremony) took place on October 18 and work began a week later. There is Metro work on a patch where these poles need to be installed, so we will see how many of the 41 can be placed now and probably install the rest after the excavation of footpaths for the Metro is over."

Two good: Double pronged lights serve an important dual purpose

Corporator Harshita Narwekar stressed, "This is a practical deviation from the usual light poles that are installed on the divider. Those give light to the roads. These two-pronged poles on the pavement light up both the footpath and the road. We need well-lit footpaths as darkness gives rise to security issues. These poles have a slightly higher wattage to the street, though the pavement will be well-lit too."

For Nandita Bedi, the lights serve a double purpose. "They beautify an area, shining a light on aesthetic aspects and are needed for safety too. Any resident will tell you that when it is dimly lit, the pavements become a free for all. We also have footpath corners that turn into addas for anti-social elements. Do remember that a house can come up at night on a dark pavement. People will erect a structure with tarpaulin and the space is taken," she said.

The dynamic locals with their political representatives

A safeguard

Cynthia D'Mello of My Dream Colaba said, "A real necessity for senior citizens, the light on the pavement will guard against drug addicts lounging around and encroachment. Everybody has a right to safe public spaces."

While safety is at the top of the pavement priority pyramid, lighting can also help one, "avoid dog poo on the pavement" said corporator Makarand Narwekar. The local representative added that lights and with them visibility were part of the larger aim "of empowering citizens. We have had several citizen-led projects in the area which are a testament to people power," he said. When asked whether corporators and MLAs had a quicker response time to problems with an eye on the BMC elections in February next year, Makarand Narwekar said, "We have been consistently with the citizenry since the past five years, ours is not a one-off action with an eye on the elections. We want to see how this pilot project unfolds and then we may replicate it in other areas of the ward."

For kids

Colaba local Maria Chico said, "Many children use this road from Badhwar Park to President Hotel and beyond in the evenings. They return from school or classes, and are forced to walk on the roads because the pavement is relatively dark. A couple of times well-meaning residents have told them to use the pavement but they have retorted saying they use the road because it is brighter." For Chico and Shah, the rounds of "getting endless permissions for the project" said Chico, have paid off. "We are so happy the project is off the ground. A monsoon that stretched right into September meant some delays in take-off but it's time to look at the brighter side, both literally and figuratively," she said with a laugh.

"This is a prominent road and there is dense pedestrian traffic too, so it was important we light up the path for those walking. Currently, work is on but a long stretch near the President Hotel is already dug up for Metro work. We need to wait and then install the poles right up to Navy Nagar," MLA Rahul Narwekar said with most hoping that the project is over by the end of this year, but the political representatives are more ambitious saying, "We should see completion a little after Diwali."

41
No. of new light poles to be installed at Prakash Pethe Marg