Indian Express 11.09.2009
Down the drain goes Peddar Rd, yet again
The fragile Peddar Road, beneath which lie rusted utilities dating back to the Brtitish Raj era, caved in yet again on Wednesday night as a century old storm water drain gave way because of erosion caused by the recent rain.
It was the road’s third cave-in 18 months. It happened in spite of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation having taken measures against a collapse; three months ago it had replaced the dilapidated sewers running parallel to the SWD.
The earlier collapses, both last year, took place near Jaslok Hospital and Jindal House. At 11 pm Wednesday, a 9.5-metre stretch opposite Prabhukunj Apartment collapsed.
Repair began at midnight. “The SWD is part of an old system called Dhapa drains, box-type and laid six feet under the road surface. The recent rain affected the top slab that caused erosion,” said an official.
Civic officials had warned the road is fragile as the utilities, the sewer and the SWD, are a century old and in urgent need of replacement, having collapsed several times over the last 12 years.
There had been a proposal to replace the SWD but the traffic department did not give permission to block the busy road, officials said. Also the MSRDC’s plan for a flyover at Peddar Road had made the BMC uncertain about replacing the lines.
“If the flyover is built, all utilities including the SWD will have to be shifted. Replacing the entire line will lead to a waste of time and money,” said an official.
Additional municipal commissioner (SWD) R A Rajeev said that under the Rs 1,200 crore BRIMSTOWAD project, all underground SWD utilities will be overhauled. “The Peddar Road drains will be a part of this project,” he said.
The BMC in May replaced the 130-year-old sewers on a 250-metre stretch from Mahalaxmi Junction to Ganadia Lane. However, the closure of Peddar Road, one of the busiest, created huge traffic problems and VIP commuters complained, leading to work being halted. The work was finally completed a month later after civic officials came up with a better traffic plan and spread awareness on the necessity of the overhaul.
Wednesday’s cave-in and repairs did not disturb traffic much. A traffic police official said, “Traffic was slow but we have created diversions. During evening rush hours an extra force of around 25 personnel was deployed to ensure smooth flow.”
