Pali Hill residents stop concretisation of two roads

The residents were armed with reasons why the Auxilium Convent Road and the Dilip Kumar Lane should not be concretised

MUMBAI: In yet another case of citizens stopping the scourge of concretisation and dug-up roads from taking over their area, the Pali Hill Residents Association (PHRA), along with former corporator Asif Zakaria, blocked that fate from befalling two roads: the Auxilium Convent road, and the Dilip Kumar lane.

There are around five buildings on Dilip Kumar Lane that currently in redevelopment, so it doesn’t make sense to have it concretised right now, residents said. (Satish Bate/Hindustan Times)

The residents were armed with reasons why the Auxilium Convent road should not be concretised, the primary one being that it was in great condition despite being made of the much-maligned paver blocks. A narrow road, it sees little traffic thanks to being a cul-de-sac. On the other hand, a lot stands to face harm due to concretisation: the fully grown trees on either side of the road, the primary school for girls at the end of the lane, and the many senior citizen residents. Prospective redevelopment of one of the buildings on the road and a concern for access in emergencies added to the residents’ case.

Things moved fast. Support poured in from other buildings and bungalows on the road and a letter was dispatched to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on February 2. The heavyweights of PHRA, secretary Madhu Poplai and former corporator Asif Zakaria, were called in. “The Auxilium Convent road is in great condition with no potholes or even sinks, even in the monsoon, as it was only made five years ago,” said Poplai. “It needs no concretisation.”

Gaurav Punj, husband of celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, told HT that they noticed a JCB enter their road on February 2. “When we were told that it was to be concreted, we immediately reached out to Madhu Poplai and other residents of the buildings on our lane,” he said. “Zakaria managed to stop the work that day, calling for a meeting with the BMC engineer the next day, where we put forward our case.”

In Dilip Kumar lane, other factors rendered concretisation a bad idea. “There are around five buildings on that road currently in redevelopment, so it doesn’t make sense to have it concretised right now,” said Poplai. “The trucks coming and going for construction will be blocked, and then the newly standing buildings will want to re-dig the road for utilities.”

Poplai and Zakaria called a BMC engineer from the roads department to scrutinise their claims. They passed without a hitch, and by February 6, the concretisation had been deferred. An official from the roads department, however, said, “We will inspect the road and then take a decision, as it is due to roads getting worse during the monsoon that the CM has made the decision to concretise all roads.”

Such a series of events was possible only thanks to the stronghold the PHRA has over every inch of Pali Hill. Its dominion over the area goes back to 2000, when the residents’ association signed an indefinite agreement with the then municipal commissioner, K Nalinakshan, to keep guard over the area.

“Every time the BMC or another agency wants to carry out digging work on our roads for utilities, we charge them a security deposit of ₹10,000 per each metre to make sure they reinstate it back to our satisfaction,” said Poplai, who has stopped even the builders constructing Anil Ambani’s house for not following rules. “We have a team of seven security guards who watch over every inch of the area and ensure work goes on as per rules. Others ensure that roads are kept clean, flowers are watered, and new hawkers blocked.”