Colaba resident Pritti Kumar breaks both ankles on uneven surface around the tree below her home, she stumbled and fell on the pavement twisting her foot
Pritti Kumar, shows both her ankles encased in plaster. Pics/Shadab Khan
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Colaba resident Pritti Kumar stepped out of her home in Jenkins House, off Colaba Causeway for her regular walk. As she set foot on a little mud mound around the tree below her home, she stumbled and fell on the pavement twisting her foot.
Then before she knew it, she lost her balance completely and fell down. "I was in unbelievable, excruciating pain just sitting there, for minutes. I simply could not get up."
A number of good Samaritans rushed to her aid. Some Colaba Causeway hawkers too rushed in to help her. "They carried me and put me into my car," recalled Pritti, wincing even as he remembered. Pritti was driven to orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Dilip Shah's clinic at Lamington Road. Both her ankles were broken. She returned to her building in an ambulance as Jenkins House is an old structure, and, Pritti explains, "I had to be lifted out of the ambulance, with the personnel carrying me on a chair through the first five steps, after which we can access the elevator."
Now, Pritti is resigned to six weeks of immobility. "I have bought a walker, which I will eventually use. Right now though, I need help to visit the bathroom, have my meals brought to me and am on a heavy dose of painkillers," says Pritti with a wry smile, pointing to her I-Pad which she uses to read books and pass her time.
Work on at Henry Road
A mess
Says Pritti's partner Ravi Shankar, "We have already spent Rs 25,000 at first go, and this is only the initial amount, there will be surely be more expenses. The money though is not the moot point." Both Pritti and Ravi Shankar ask angrily, "Why are roads repeatedly remade, paver blocks put and removed? We had a perfectly good footpath, but now paver blocks have come in, the surface is uneven and crevices between blocks are not properly filled."
Life overturned
Says Pritti, "I want to know who is accountable for this mess? When it comes to pay 'n' park policies, in fact, decisions that entail money making we see quick movement, road works simply stretch forever." Pritti's left leg will take six weeks to heal while her right leg will take three weeks. Pritti says, "In the USA, the authorities would be sued for millions for such work."
Pervez Cooper, who lives opposite Jenkins House on Henry Road, has witnessed, "Roads and footpaths dug up through Colaba and double parking on Mereweather road." Cooper says that, "Last week, Henry Road digging damaged electric cables disrupting electricity for hours together."
Write way
Assistant Municipal Commissioner, A ward, Kiran Dighavkar, says, "There is storm water drainage work going on at Henry Road. In fact, we are doing a lot of road work for the monsoon. I am aware of this case (Pritti Kumar) through social media. I will act on this if I get a written complaint and ensure that places where loose mud and blocks exist are barricaded or there is some security. We have been getting complaints from different places in Colaba, but we will take care. If I get a written complaint, I will check if the engineer or contractor were responsible. Citizens' safety is paramount." Residents though ask why written complaints are necessary, instead isn't the Commissioner responsible enough to ensure that there are no loose paver blocks there in the first place?
Subhash Motwani, who lives on the corner of Boman Behramji Marg and J A Allana Marg corner, calls the area, "Chaotic Coloba," and says, "it is not double parking but triple parking here! We need the army here in Colaba!"
Residents add, "One also has to ask who took the policy decision on replacing perfectly good square tiles with paver blocks?"
Paver pain
It is a question to which there is no answer except that Ajoy Mehta, BMC chief's admission that "the paver blocks are a disaster. We are removing them from different parts of the city. If the work is very bad in certain patches, we are removing those paver blocks first." Mehta hastens to add that in case, "paver block work has been exceptional in patches we are not removing those, as it will waste public money."
Doc talk
Dr Dilip Shah says, Pritti, "will not be able to walk for six weeks. Both ankles are broken." The doc adds, "Accidents are rife because of the state of our roads and encroached pavements. Our footpath height is very high in many places. Zebra crossings need to be repainted, as they are faded in many places and invisible to motorists. I want to ask these speed bikers who zoom around, if they are on a special mission to knock down people. There is no respect left for the pedestrian," signs off the doc.
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