Mumbai: BMC’s road concretisation project is drawing flak in Malad West where an internal road in Jankalyan Nagar has been dug up in violation of the municipal commissioner’s order banning new road excavations after Feb 22.
A senior BMC official said they would look into the complaint, but there’s a possibility that the road was dug up earlier and now they are just completing the remaining work.
Former Congress corporator Sheetal Mhatre alleged that proper excavation has not been done for the road concretisation work and the stormwater drains are not being reconstructed, instead only the surface covers are being changed.
Questioning the need for an eight-lane duct on this narrow internal road in Jankalyan Nagar, Mhatre claimed that the four-lane duct in one carriageway is being laid “superficially” under the road to inflate the bills. “Moreover, the cables have been conveniently stuffed into the same excavated space and not in ducts. Also, the ducts are not being encased properly in concrete. A concrete bedding has to be created for the ducts, but they are using paver blocks instead,” alleged Mhatre.
When contacted, the senior BMC official said: “We will have to examine whether completely new concretisation work has been taken up at Jankalyan Nagar. If this is the case, action will be taken against the officials concerned. With regard to the stormwater drains, we will check if the contract is only for replacing the covers. If found otherwise, then strict action will be taken.” He clarified that even if the utility cables are not being inserted into the ducts now, they would be laid later.
In Andheri’s Marol (E), residents pointed out that there were elevation errors and technical flaws in the ongoing concretisation work on Church Road.
NGO Watchdog Foundation has written to the civic administration regarding the elevation errors. “The earlier road was 1ft below the new concrete road that is being laid. During monsoon, we can expect rainwater to enter houses and establishments as the height of the stormwater drains has been raised only 25cm above the existing road level,” said Godfrey Pimenta of Watchdog Foundation.

New Delhi: A fire broke out at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in the Karawal Nagar area of north-east Delhi on Thursday. The blaze occurred in a building located in Ankur Enclave, a residential neighbourhood. Later in the afternoon, another fire broke out in a market in Chandni Chowk.
According to police, the first fire was reported at 8:43 am, prompting an immediate response from local authorities. “A police team quickly arrived at the scene and alerted the Delhi Fire Service. Four fire tenders were deployed, and the fire was successfully brought under control,” said a senior police officer.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the building had been rented out illegally for hazardous activities. The ground floor was occupied by a scrap dealer, while the first floor was allegedly used for the illicit production of green firecrackers,” the officer added.
One individual, identified as Rizwan, sustained injuries in the incident and was admitted to GTB Hospital for treatment, the police said. Senior officials, along with the Crime Team and experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), inspected the site to assess the cause and extent of the fire.
Legal proceedings are underway, and a thorough investigation is being conducted to determine accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.
In a separate incident on the same day, another massive fire broke out at Bhagirath Palace Market in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk.
According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), at least eight fire tenders were dispatched to the site to control the flames. The fire began around 1.50 pm in a shop located on the second floor of a building in Bhagirath Palace Market. “The fire originated in an electronic decoration shop,” a fire official said. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished, and no injuries or casualties were reported.