Mumbai: A day after a father-son duo were killed in a horrific road accident in Ghatkopar (E), local residents have demanded the contractor, and the road engineer, who constructed the road and responsible for checks, be booked for endangering life and safety. A local corporator, Rakhee Jadhav lodged a complaint against the contractor and road engineer responsible for the deaths of the father-son early on Friday.
Speaking more on the issue, Jadhav said, “The sides of the concrete roads are made of paver blocks which are arranged in uneven manner due to which the edges are irregular thereby making the entire construction faulty.” In addition to the uneven roads, it is also not maintained, which further led to the mishaps of similar nature at least once a month. “Potholes and gaps in the roads add more nuisance to the same. The contractors and engineers are answerable to such type of construction and we demand that criminal liability should be decided on those showing negligence.
We are simply waiting for the subway work to get over so that more such accidents could be prevented,” Jadhav added. Meanwhile, residents also claimed the movement of heavy vehicles is rampant in the area and traffic police have no control over it. On Thursday afternoon, the deceased duo identified as Mohammed Jameel Bashir Sayyed (35) and his son Mohammed Raza Jameel Sayyed (7) were on a scooter returning home when their bike skidded and they fell.
They came under the tyres of a truck and died on the spot. After the accident, locals staged a ‘rasta roko’ in Laxmi Nagar, which was later cleared after Akhilesh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) intervened. Locals alleged that the contractor and road engineer have highly neglected the maintenance due to which accidents of such magnitude occurred. Residents have claimed the roads in some parts of Ghatkopar (E) including Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road, Laxmi Nagar and Laxmibaug have uneven surfaces due to which vehicles, especially two wheelers, lose balance and slip, leading to fatal accidents.
“Local authorities had approached higher officials in the municipal corporation about the growing risks, but their complaints went unheard. If the contractors can take huge amount of money, why can’t they give their proper services?,” said Amey Teli, a resident of Laxmi Nagar. In a similar incident, two years ago a school bus ran over a six year-old Ashok Murugan and his brother Suresh. After this incident, Jadhav had pressed for the construction of vehicular subway, which is still underway, said another resident.
