Bhayandar: Every time a vehicle speeds past the road leading to the police station in Bhayandar, bikers, pedestrians and roadside shopkeepers start coughing incessantly and having breathing troubles due to the dust trail left behind. This is not the only affected road, most arterial and main roads have met a similar fate.
Thanks to cosmetic patchwork by private contractors deployed by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the situation has worsened with loose gravel and mud spreading all over the roads, posing additional risks.
“All one can see is a huge cloud of dust on the road as vehicles drive past in high speeds, making visibility difficult and breathing impossible, especially on busy roads during peak morning and evening hours,” said a biker, Ganesh Shivmate. Despite assurances by the civic administration of conducting timebound repairs, the arrival and farewell remained to be a bumpy ride for Lord Ganesha owing to the presence of uneven and pothole-ridden roads in the twin-city. Residents of several housing societies on the road have also been complaining of dusting their homes every other day due to the menace, which has escalated over the last fortnight.
“Now, a thick layer of dust settles on everything in just a couple of hours. As drivers traverse through the broken road, dust starts filling the air,” said Vidya Nagrani, a resident of Mira Road. Gaping potholes dotting the roads of the twin-city in the wake of rains have not only posed serious risks for the local populace but has also exposed the extent of apathy and corruption entrenched in the MBMC.
Red Carpet for VIP venue
Does it take a star-studded function to get roads repaired in the vicinity? Residents and social activists think so. It is alleged the MBMC in an apparent bid to pamper an influential political leader of the region is working overtime to recarpet all roads leading to a venue in Bhayandar, hosting a grand Navratri Utsav. Unlike other roads, which pass through bureaucratic wranglings for repairs, these roads are being blacktopped, as a galaxy of stars and VIPs are likely to descend at the venue.
