It’s very important that the government and the BMC should prioritise attending to basic infrastructure provisions and alleviate the problems of the people. We must have all the basic amenities and precautions in the first place. And, above all, every project and a facility must have a firm schedule and deadline for completion. The engineers, the concerned authorities and all the officials and corporators must hang their heads in shame. They must visit the city and suburbs and observe the pathetic condition of roads and how the motorists and the public transport vehicles too, ply dangerously on the city roads.
Add to the woes of worst roads, the trees which are in dangerous condition is neither trimmed nor demolished. The cavalier and irresponsible approach of the BMC ward concerned cost the life of an ex-TV anchor and a prominent personality of Chembur Kanchan Nath, on whom a huge coconut tree fell while she was going for a morning walk. It’s learnt that despite repeated appeals and letters from the nearby residents, the civic body did not demolish this tree which was found to be in a dangerous condition which ultimately claimed a life. Who should be held responsible for Kanchan’s death?
I think we should find out a permanent solution to this menace of Mumbai roads getting worsened every year. Why not concretise the complete stretches of the city’s roads for once and for all? The contractors might be spending only “40 to 50%” of the amount so that the remaining goes to the pockets of all concerned. No doubt the contractors cannot maintain the quality and just cannot provide roads which can sustain the heavy showers of just 3 to 4 days or for even a couple of months.
Hence, I strongly suggest that let the civic body and the state government begin concretisation of roads. Forget those paver blocks which have time and again proved to be of substandard quality and not fit for the metropolis’s traffic. If the officials and others want to make money here too, let them “earn it” for once and for all instead of spending unbelievable and astronomical amount of 5000-6000 crores every monsoon. At least the concretisation of roads will end the annual torture of the people and the motorists. Will the BMC and the state government consider this suggestion and act upon? May be the concretisation project can be taken up in a phased manner and even the big companies can be roped in. Hope the BMC will atleast has a heart to spare Lord Ganesha from this torture, during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which is not far off.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
