Raising an important issue, the commuters and social activists have requested the MMRDA and concerned authorities to ‘urgently’ repair broken tiles that have been found on the bridge connecting Western Express Highway Metro Station on Metro Line 1 and Gundavali Metro Station on Metro Line 7. The people fear of any serious incident waiting to happen in the wake of these broken tiles.
In a letter written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) with a copy to the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary and other senior officials, Watchdog Foundation has asked the authorities to fix the problem at the earliest for the safety of the commuters.
“We understand that infrastructure needs to be developed over time, but it is crucial that such infrastructure be constructed with quality. Unfortunately, we often find that quality construction is compromised nowadays. The bridge connecting Western Express Highway Metro Station on Metro Line 1 and Gundavali Metro Station on Metro Line 7 has experienced broken tiles within two years of its opening to the public. These dislodged tiles, caused by substandard work, need to be repaired immediately as they are causing inconvenience to the commuters,” Founder of Watchdog Foundation, Godfrey Pimenta said in the letter.
"The ties have come out within a year after being fixed. It shows quality of construction. There's no supervision of the work," he added.
When contacted, an MMRDA official said, "As per the project tender, the contractor initially installed anti-skid vitrified floor tiles at the specified FOB location. However, due to pedestrian movement and rains these tiles were damaged. MMRDA has now approved the contractor's proposal to replace these vitrified tiles with granite tiles."
"Currently, the contractor has procured the granite tile material and cutting process of the same is in progress. The work of laying tiles will start soon. Additionally, MMRDA has also approved the proposal for the FOB roofing, which will be installed shortly," the official added.