Mumbai: The residents of Kandivali (E)'s Lokhandwala Township showed a rare show of camaraderie by felicitating a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assistant engineer of the R/South ward for his work in bringing the Goregaon-Magathane 120ft development plan (DP) road near completion.
The members of the Lokhandwala Residents’ Association organised a felicitation ceremony for R/South ward's assistant engineer (maintenance) Hemant Pant for his “dedication and commitment towards working for the betterment of Mumbaikars.” The association claimed that the official single-handedly executed and expedited the complex work of the 120ft DP road of demolishing unauthorised structures at Kandivali (E)'s Singh Estate. LRA’s role in this entire work has been pivotal, as they were successful in bringing that decision of no alignment change from the court.
Members of the association noted that while many projects are stalled due to a lack of coordination, Pant took a personal interest in clearing the bottlenecks. They highlighted that he ensured smooth communication with the citizens, leading to a lot of critical public civic work done at the earliest.
LRA's co-founder Shishir Vivekanand Shetty said that appreciation of deserving officers also motivates fellow officers to bring out their best. “LRA has always found success by maintaining constant communication with officials from all departments. We believe in making solutions by working hand in hand with stakeholders rather than criticising or complaining about departments. This attitude towards departments has always yielded positive results for us. Officers such as Hemant Pant are a perfect example of maintaining cordial relationships and solutions-based approach towards issues,” he added.
Notably, the said road is a crucial infrastructure link that has faced years of bureaucratic and logistical hurdles. The Free Press Journal was the first to report in October 2024 that the BMC commissioner had rejected the chief minister's direction to divert the said road after LRA members had approached the High Court with a public interest litigation. The BMC completed demolition of all 310 unauthorised structures and is now pushing to complete the last remaining patch before May-end.
The completion of the 120-feet road is expected to significantly reduce travel time for residents of several large housing complexes in Kandivali (E) and nearby localities. It also provides an essential alternative route to the Western Express Highway, which struggles with congested bottlenecks everyday.
Another LRA member Bina Praharaj also appreciated Pant's responsiveness to all civic issues addressed by the citizens. “We have found instant solutions through mediums of communication such as WhatsApp many times. It's good to see such BMC officers who take personal interest in comforting citizens even without having to write letters or meeting them at the ward,” she added
Talking to The Free Press Journal, Pant said, “Living in Mumbai for many years, I had seen the traffic congestion at Akurli Road. The beautiful residential area behind the road was facing severe commuting issues due to it. I thought about taking up the issue and after talking to the residents, I understood that it was of utmost importance for them. My entire team ensured to work in the best interest of the citizens.”
