The Times of India 19.11.2013
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation digs into utility service providers' habitual excavation
NAVI MUMBAI: The civic body is engaged in some hard talk with public service providers like power, telecom and piped gas companies to accept its proposal of providing underground cables and pipes via ducts to prevent frequent digging of roads, or else be denied permission for digging in the future. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has asked for detailed maps from various service providers in the next 10 days.
City engineer Mohan Dagaonkar is currently holding talks with various service providers over this. "There can be two separate ducts - one for general utility service providers and another for electricity cables," said Dagaonkar. "However, the Mahanagar gas pipeline comprises pressure pipes and to ensure the safety aspect; so we will exclude them," he added.
Dagaonkar said that the connectivity to plots in new areas needed to be planned ahead so that the roads are not dug up. This move is in keeping with the Rs 7,000 crore-One Time Planning proposed by Thane guardian minister, Ganesh Naik, to make Navi Mumbai a global city, said city mayor Sagar Naik. "The current locations of the networks would be overhauled, but it would be a one-time change,'' he added.
The mayor has suggested that the ducts be laid alongside roads or under pavements and manholes placed at regular intervals to expedite repair and maintenance work.
The cost factor has to be taken into account, by the various agencies
as the underground gas pipelines, power and telephone cables, fibre optic connections and the overhead cables for TV will have to pass through a common duct. The MSEDCL executive engineer, Vashi, S D Survade said, "We have agreed to the duct system in the new areas and will work as per the plan of the civic body. But total overhauling would require substantial money and the higher-ups will have to decide that.''
"All over the world, the mega cities have adopted this system. There are manholes at intervals for repair and maintenance work.
Our experience is that the roads are dug up frequently by various service providers and are never the same after digging. I have noticed the bad condition of roads. and the uneven, incomplete and shoddy that give way during rains, resulting in bumpy rides and health problems to those travelling by three-wheelers and two-wheelers
This move should put an end to it,'' said mayor Naik.
The NMMC has attempted to combine the forthcoming road repairs and laying of the duct as a joint effort to solve the problem. The civic body has a major road repair plan, the mayor said. The roads were dug up for the JNNURM sponsored water supply and sewerage pipeline networks. These roads were also dug up during the last two years by various service providers. Now, with the twin infra works over, the civic body wants to lay good roads and has initiated dialogue with the service providers to provide a long-lasting solution to end the menace of endless digging.
