Civic officials feel that as the contractor for it was appointed by the Railways and as it must still be in the defect liability period, the problems must be resolved by them
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Despite several complaints from commuters about the messed up 13-mts long underpass connecting the east and west of Kurla, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has failed to have a permanent solution for the issues there. On Friday morning, severe water seepage resulted in waterlogging at the entrance of the east end of the underpass, forcing commuters to walk through it.
The underpass was built at a cost of around Rs 9 crore and after much delay, it was opened to the public in November last year. In November again, mid-day had reported how citizens had defaced it by littering and spitting on the walls. And just two months after that, mid-day also reported how the underpass was neglected and parts of its ceiling had begun to fall apart.
'Rlys must resolve issue'
According to BMC officials, leakages from railway pumps are eating into the plaster and cement in the ceiling, and seeping elsewhere into the underpass causing the waterlogging. A BMC official also said that as the contractor was appointed by the Railways and as the project must be still in the defect liability period, the problems must be resolved by the Railway authorities.
Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant municipal commissioner of L ward said, "When I came to know about the problem I immediately summoned our staff to visit the spot, and clean it so that the commuters could use it. We will soon appoint a contractor for the maintenance of the underpass as well, but the heavy seepage there is causing this problem and needs to be fixed by the Railways. We have also written to them about the issue."
Divisional Railway Manager SK Jain was not available for comment.
Commuters harassed
Jitendra Gupta, an activist said, "The two authorities should come together to resolve this issue. We have to walk through the filthy water and there are no security arrangements set up so far, creating fear in the minds of people who walk through this long underpass."
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