Mumbai: Deeply upset by the death of his friend Nita Shah (75), at Ridge Road, Malabar Hill, on Tuesday morning in a road accident, noted builder Niranjan Hiranandani has urged the BMC to remove all encroachments from the pavement. He said that because pavements are encroached, citizens are forced to walk on roads, risking their lives.
Builder Niranjan Hiranandani Demands Action
Hiranandani said Ms Shah, a widow was residing in one of the buildings on Ridge Road, used to go walking to Malabar Hill twice a day to keep herself fit.
He said, apart from removing encroachments, the authorities should also make the area 'no parking' in the interest of pedestrian safety. Incidentally, Ms Shah was knocked down and crushed by a BEST bus taken on wet lease. Drivers of many of these buses are notorious for rash and negligent driving, with the BEST undertaking doing precious little to rein them in.
Despite the court mandate, the BMC too has not done enough to keep the city pavements free of hawkers and other encroachments. Grant Road, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Chembur. Andheri and Borivali are areas where entire pavements have been gobbled up by hawkers with impunity.
