BMC fixes rumblers on Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road, but forgets signs

Newly replaced rumblers on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road flyover on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje

In the wake of a mid-day report shedding light on broken rumblers on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road bridge, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed fresh safety devices on the flyover. However, there is no signage warning speeding motorists about them.

On December 18, this newspaper revealed that all 12 of the flyover's damaged rumblers were posing a threat to vehicles as screws were exposed. After this, the civic body swung into action immediately. When this reporter visited the spot on Sunday, he found that motorists were confused due to the lack of signs.

According to BMC records, construction of the flyover began in 2019 and was scheduled for completion the same year. However, it was opened to traffic in 2021. The six-lane, 2.9-kilometre-long structure was built at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Just a month after its inauguration, stud posts and iron crash barriers were stolen from the flyover. The BMC lodged a complaint with the police, after which speed-monitoring cameras were installed.

Later, the BMC decided to construct another arm of the flyover, which directly lands at the Deonar dumping ground, costing Rs 200 crore. The rumblers were installed later as it was reported that bikers were riding dangerously on the flyover.

Local resident Faiyaz Alam Shaikh said, "The BMC acted swiftly after mid-day highlighted the issue with the rumblers. But there is a potential threat as there are no signboards before the safety devices, which is causing confusion. On Saturday night, we found that some motorists were confused due to the sudden rumbles. There is only one signboard at the Ghatkopar end of the flyover." A resident of Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd, Dilip Manniyar, said, "I use this flyover regularly. I saw some bikers getting disoriented as there was no signboard before the rumblers."