In the wake of a mid-day report highlighting the frustration of Bandra residents after a metal lid placed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over a sunken section of St John Baptist Road was dislodged, civic workers welded the cover back in place late on Thursday night.
“This, too, feels like a temporary measure, because they are fixing the same plate onto the gap. If any heavy vehicle goes over it, it might come off once again,” said Agnelo Martins, a resident.
When mid-day contacted the H West ward office on Thursday, Assistant Engineer Mandar Chaudhary said that the issue would be looked into. “I will send someone over to inspect the condition of the metal lid, install a new one, and give it proper time to cure.”
Residents, who allege that the lid was installed hastily by the civic body more than two months ago, are sceptical about the latest fix. “They make multiple promises, but these are hardly fulfilled. If they plan to fix it properly, they should do it soon before there is another bout of rain, which would cause delays,” said a resident, requesting anonymity.
“There were just two workers and no supervisor. They finished the work in some 15-30 minutes and left; it is very unclear if this is a temporary fix or a permanent one,” said Martins. The metal lid appeared slightly dented in the middle due to the weight of vehicles, calling into question the quality of materials used in its production.
Advocate Floyd Gracias, another resident, said, “This kind of work that they do overnight is patchwork; we need a properly reinforced lid instead. The junction where this hole lies sees heavy traffic flow and is on a BEST bus route. In such places, temporary fixes are of no use.” He added that the lid is three to six inches indented, which might be the reason for the chipping of cement around it.
When this newspaper contacted the ward office on Friday to ask if the work would be done properly, Chaudhary replied, “Yes. The work is in progress. We will get it done.”
June 2025
Month lid was installed
