Janata Colony subway widening awaiting traffic police nod for over 6 months

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been awaiting a nod from Mumbai traffic police to resume work on widening the Janata Colony underpass in Jogeshwari for over six months. A structural girder of the underpass, which was damaged due to collision with a container truck on August 30, has also not been repaired owing to the lack of permission, placing the lives of lakhs of motorists and pedestrians at great risk.

While nearly 2 lakh cars use the 38-metre underpass during weekdays, work on widening it was commenced in 2019, when MMRDA appointed a contractor. Around 85% of the work has been completed while 15% work over a 6-metre stretch is pending. In April this year, MMRDA was asked to wait for permission to initiate repairs on this stretch until results of the Lok Sabha polls were declared on June 4. Though the authority has been following up with the traffic police regularly after that, no permission has been granted yet, said sources in the MMRDA.

“We have been following up with the traffic police to allow us to resume widening work, but haven’t been successful as yet,” said an MMRDA official. The delay is not only raising the cost of construction due to inflation but also endangering the lives of motorists, the official added.

Meanwhile, one of the cement-concrete girders of the underpass was damaged during the wee hours of August 30, when a container truck attempted to drive through it. The damage was so severe that a section of the girder broke into two and was dangling on the road, blocking traffic movement. The same night and the subsequent day, the iron rods were cut and the route was cleared for usual traffic movement. But work on repairing the damaged girder is also pending owing to the lack of permission from the traffic police.

“If we are unable to resume work on widening and repairing the underpass immediately, the completion date will get pushed to the 2025 monsoon. The wet season may impact the quality of work and invite the public’s flak,” said the MMRDA official quoted earlier.

Comments were sought from senior Mumbai traffic police officers regarding the delay in permission, but there was no response from any of them.