Need quality civic work, not constant makeovers

Customers at a medical shop during a power outage at Walkeshwar Road, on Sunday. File Pic/Bipin Kokate

This paper featured an extensive report about Colaba recently witnessing a power outage of approximately 15 hours. The power cut, locals stated, was the most massive one in decades; in fact, many residents who have lived there for 30 years and more could not recollect electricity being cut for so many hours before.

Social media chat groups were buzzing with complaints, criticism, and questions, while some remained calm, stoic amid the sweltering heat. Some responses from those in the suburbs were that city slickers must experience a dose of how they suffer.

This, though, is not about suburbs and the city. It is also not about the numerous complaints that were flooding chat groups. This is to highlight what locals claimed they had heard was the reason behind it - the continual digging and re-digging of roads and footpaths that damaged the cable lines beneath.

The power authorities did not say that, so we had no experts on record. In light of that, it is difficult to establish the reason. We must pay attention to the fact that road work is a constant in many areas. While it may be necessary in patches given the heavy load this city has to bear, people are flummoxed and irked with the consistent work, especially on pavements.
There has to be will and effort put into civic works so that they do not need to be overhauled and re-done in a few months, not even a year.

This gives rise to a cynical citizenry who is then quite right in questioning why a recently completed work is being re-done. We need long-term vision and quality, right from inception. If footpaths do not need more work, desist from digging again. At times a re-done work is worse than what it was before. The consistent overhaul and makeovers need to stop as they are doing more all-round damage than good.