Haphazard road concreting work has left residents of buildings in Andheri East and Kalina unable to access the road outside their housing societies. An official from the BMC’s building proposal department said building a ramp for Crescent Grande would not make much of a difference during fire-fighting. “Mostly fire-fighting is done from the road
Crescent Grande building on Old Nagardas Road in Andheri East on Tuesday. Pics/Nimesh Dave
Concreting work carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Andheri East has created a height difference of one-and-a-half feet between the ground level of the Crescent Grande building and the surface of Old Nagardas Road, making entering and exiting the housing society’s premises a Herculean task for motorists. Meanwhile, in Kalina, a drain that rises above road level has been similarly menacing residents of four buildings. Shailesh Savla, a committee member of the Crescent Grande, told mid-day, “Before this stretch was concreted, the asphalt road outside was only half a foot lower than the building’s ground level. There was a ramp so we could easily drive on to the road.”
The Marigold building in Kalina, which is being impacted by an under-construction drain that rises above road level
The building, which comprises 73 flats, has another entry/exit point on the nearby Mogra Pada road, but residents said that stretch is very narrow. According to Salva, 80 vehicles belonging to residents currently use that road. Pradip Chowdhary, manager of the society, said, “When we discussed the issue with the contractor, he suggested making a ramp. But it will take up three metres of area. This will again create problems for us. As there is not enough space to turn vehicles in the society. Currently, residents are using an alternative gate that opens onto a narrow lane. Vehicles are always parked there, which makes the road even narrower.”
Crescent Grande building on Old Nagardas Road in Andheri East on Tuesday
Nimish Mestri, another committee member, said that on Tuesday evening residents received a letter from the BMC’s road department which mentioned, “The cost of the ramp should be incurred by residents.” According to the civic body’s pedestrian-first footpath policy, the carriageway for the society entry-exit will have to be flat. Therefore, no slope will be provided, the letter stated.
Santacruz locals’ woes
In Kalina, four buildings are facing issues due to a roadside drain, whose height was increased in some places by as much as one and a half feet, according to Gopalkrishna Shetty, a resident of the Vindhya building, located on an internal lane of National Compound (NC) Road. “This lane is at the same level as NC Road. As part of the concreting, the BMC will increase the level of the road. Currently, they have increased the level of the drain, resulting in the blockage of the lane. The contractor has created a temporary ramp with soil. But this is not the solution. We want the BMC to ensure everything is the same height,” Shetty said.
The internal lane of National Compound Road in Kalina, where a raised drain has been impacting residents of four buildings. Pics/Nimesh Dave
Rita Lobo, a resident of the Marigold building, said a gate of her society had to be closed as the drain runs directly in front of it. “When other residents and I approached the BMC, officials assured us they would make a ramp. We have asked them not to raise the height of the drain in front of a gate that has not been impacted in the meantime,” she said.
Catherine Fernandes, a resident of the Renja building, said, “The road outside is difficult to navigate now. One gate of my building is close to the drain while another gate is lower than it. Even walking to NC Road from the internal lane is difficult for us.” Pramila Patel, a resident of the Vindhya building, said, “Besides us, residents of three buildings have been suffering. There are more than 60 residences in these buildings. A few of us have requested the BMC to increase the height of the internal road.”
Fear of waterlogging
As the height of NC Road will be increased after concreting, but the height of the internal lane will not, leading to concerns about waterlogging, said Shetty. “Our building is old and it will be below road level, causing flooding,” Fernandes said.
3 metres
Area that will be taken up by ramp proposed for Andheri building
Official Speak
BMC official
An official from the BMC’s building proposal department said building a ramp for Crescent Grande would not make much of a difference during fire-fighting. “Mostly fire-fighting is done from the road. If the road around the building is wide, it is enough for the movement of the fire brigade vehicles,” the official said.
Explaining why the road’s level was lowered, an official of the BMC’s road department said, “It had been observed that the level of the road was not uniform throughout the length of Old Nagardas Road.”
Girish Nikam, chief engineer of the bridge department did not respond to call and messages by press time.
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