Mumbai: Heavy rain across Mumbai and its suburbs on Wednesday had noticed waterlogging with overflowing of nullahs at different spots. One such incident of dirty drainage water overflowing from uncleaned nullah had resulted in waterlogging at a shrine near Mahul in Chembur on Wednesday.
The trustees of Hazrat Sayed Gazi Shallar Malang Shah Qadri (R.A) at Ghaswale Baba Dargah on Wednesday after the waterlogging wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation chief Iqbal Chahal complaining about the shoddy work of the nullah contractor.
The trustee in the letter states how new boundary walls were built from Vashi Naka to Anik Depot by the authorities. "We assume the new boundary walls are high in height. It will stop the drainage water from nullah from overflowing. But the walls had holes that made way for the water to reach the dargah premises. The complete premises of the shrine is dirty with smelling drainage water. Amid lockdown there are hardly any devotees. But presently we caretakers don't have space to even sit," said Jamal Hussain Khan, president of the Dargah trust.
Khan further explains how the ongoing work from the last three to four years had resulted in slippery roads, no street lights, waterlogging and increased lakhs of mosquitoes. "The nullah contractor carries out the work and flees away as soon as the monsoon starts. We have a single road to reach the shrine. With continuous movement of dumpers full with mud on the road had changed its shape. After the monsoon starts the mud gets slippery resulting in difficulties for devotees to reach. You can't ride a motorcycle, as you will slip, and you can't walk on the dirty road without street lights. Usually on regular days prior to lockdown thousands of people come for blessings. If this is the situation how will devotees reach," added Khan who had complained to the engineer at the spot to build a drainage for the drainage water to pass, but his appeal was neglected and the same happened.
Sunil Salve, the spokesperson and active member of the Dargah said, "Even if we kept the shrine closed during lockdown. Devotees come for blessings and daily we see people and kids falling from motorcycles. They complain to us about the slippery road and unsafe way ahead. But what should we say to them, when no action is taken by the authorities after our repeated complaints," added Salve, saying we have hopes from the authorities.
Prithviraj Chavan, ward officer, M-west ward of BMC confirmed about the complaint received to them and said, "We have forwarded it to the concerned officials to do the needful."
Prakash Kadam, the complaint officer from M-west ward said, "After the complaint was received we sent our team from the maintenance department for inspection and cleaning work."
