Repair work can’t be reason for citizen inconvenience

Gilbert Hill Road, where a water line is being laid, in Andheri West, on January 16. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Andheri residents seem trapped in a maze with every road dug up near Bhavan's College. These roads have been dug up by the civic body which kicks off new work in the vicinity, necessitating more road closures. It has excavated the newly built cement concrete Gilbert Hill Road to lay a water line.

Bhavan's College site is connected to other parts of Andheri by JP Road (Metro Line Road), Dadabhai Nagar Road (Jali Wali Masjid lane), Dadabhai Cross Road and Gilbert Hill Road. And, works related to water and sewer lines, drain expansion and footpath construction are being undertaken simultaneously on these roads.

Certain roads do need emergency attention, yet to close all or nearly all roads, leaving just a sliver for vehicles means road rage, chaos, traffic snarls and huge time wastage for locals. With different agencies doing different work, one expects coordination and communication so that problems are dealt with quickly and effectively, with roads open to the public as soon as possible.

Repairs must also be done in good time, so that work does not linger on for years together, posing severe inconvenience for people. Remember that sometimes emergency vehicles may be needed in these localities for whatever reason, and the minutes idling in traffic snarls or taking turns because of closures can make the difference between life and death.

A booming and fast-changing metropolis does pose tremendous challenges. Yet, there are certain points to keep in mind, like advance notice, quality and visionary work at the inception stage, alternatives to be kept in mind and different agencies working smoothly, that can ameliorate difficulties to a large extent.

Let authorities look at ways to undertake work but balance that out with some respite and consideration for locals, too.