Ideally meant to reduce the speed to a certain limit, speed breakers play a crucial role in preventing accidents by checking reckless driving. However, thanks to the shoddy work by private contractors coupled by the apathy and negligence shown by officials attached to the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the much needed white stripes on them are also facing the threat of extinction, similar to the fate of the endangered Zebra species.
FPJ Photo
Apart from faded and missing stripes, a large number of unscientifically built speed breakers have posed a serious threat to lives and limbs of motorists and two-wheeler riders, especially in the night.
“Private contractors by the MBMC constructed speed breakers in our area. But not only is it abnormally sized, the white stripes were either not painted or it faded away owing to the inferior quality work making it extremely difficult to spot the speed breakers. Not only me but several two-wheeler riders have met with accidents. However, complaints to the PWD department have gone to deaf ears,” said Kamlesh Choudhary, a resident of Hub Town Complex in the Hatkesh area of Kashimira.
While civic officials claimed that rains must have washed away some of the newly-painted speed breakers, citizens have questioned MBMC's monsoon preparedness claims.
When contacted, MBMC's Executive PWD Engineer Suresh Vakode said, “Instructions will be given to all junior engineers to conduct an inspection in their respective jurisdictions and carry out necessary repainting work and rectify the flaws wherever needed.”
It has been alleged that most of the speed breakers were being constructed by inexperienced contractual agencies in sharp contrast to rules and design guidelines laid down by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) which is the sole authority on road safety in India.
