Mumbai: Submerged Subway and Cracks Raise Concerns Over Coastal Road

Mumbai: It seems that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in a hurry to open the much-hyped coastal road to the public. The subway at Haji Ali between the route was submerged during the tide on Wednesday. This has not only raised questions over the BMC's claim that the coastal road will avoid the risk of waterlogging in some parts of Mumbai during the monsoon but has also led to cracks in some places.

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About 50 percent of the route to Haji Ali Pass passes under the coastal road. The civic body has constructed an underground footpath there so that devotees going to the Dargah do not suffer. However, the civic body has been criticized for not having time to provide facilities for pedestrians there.

Mohammad Ahmed Taher, administrative officer of the institute, said the tunnel has been waterlogged for the last four years and the authorities of the Dargah are themselves removing the water and opening the way. The pumps are installed by the civic body during the monsoon. However, they are removed as soon as the rainy season is over. As a result, devotees visiting the shrine are suffering, he said.

Meanwhile, the civic body is constructing the main rain channel to prevent sea tidewater from entering the footpath. A tank will be constructed here to collect excess sea water, after which the water will be released into the sea, said a senior civic official.

The tunnel was submerged during the tide around 1 pm on Wednesday. However, "we have been following up with coastal road and L&T officials throughout the year regarding the issue. There is no movement from the civic body in this regard. That is why water has to be drawn at the time of high tide," the trust said.

Cracks in the road?

The first phase of the nine-km stretch from Worli to Marine Drive of the coastal road, which is being constructed at a cost of around Rs 13,000 crore, opened on March 11. Within a month, cracks have started appearing on the roads. As soon as traffic resumed, questions were raised as to how the cracks appeared on the road during the Marine Drive phase. When contacted, officials concerned said these were not structural cracks but minor cracks. He said the cracks were filled using epoxy.

No facility in 4 years
The coastal road work has been going on for the last four years. The shed was to be built on the road leading to Haji recently to avoid any inconvenience caused by the work. Work on that, too, has not begun. Moreover, the subway has no facilities other than four halogen lights for pedestrians. The system is still not installed to keep the air flowing along the route.