In yet another case that highlights the insensitivity of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) towards safeguarding age-old natural resources, a step-well in the Anand Nagar area of Dongri near Bhayandar, which has been in existence since the pre-British regime, now faces extinction.
It may be recalled that a large chunk of Bhayandar-Uttan Road had caved-in following heavy rainfall in July last year. The cave-in not only destructed the road, but also caused intense damages to the well which shared its retaining wall to the road boundary.
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After remaining in slumber for over eight months, MBMC’s public works department (PWD) finally initiated repair works early this month. But to the shock and surprise of environmentalists, the PWD-appointed contractors were found to be burying the well by dumping construction debris in it.
“It is really unfortunate that the MBMC is brazenly burying the British-era well which has withstood the test of time and can still provide a year-round supply of water. The road should be repaired while ensuring that the glory of the well is restored,” said Congress leader Shoun Collaso.
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Clarifying MBMC’s stand on the issue, executive engineer Deepak Khambit said, “We had thought of restoring the well but the damages are beyond repairs, leaving us with no other alternative. We also tried drilling bore-wells at nearby spots, but failed to find a water source.”
“The well was not responsible for the damage to the road, in fact its vice-versa. The poor quality of road construction had apparently led to the cave-in leaving the well damaged. The well should be restored,” said social activist Rohit Suvarna.
