A senior citizen's face was bloodied and her two fingers fractured, while a 21-year-old fractured her leg in two separate incidents in the eastern suburbs, exposing the dangerous conditions of the city's footpaths.

In December 2016, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta himself had said that he cannot take his elderly parents for a walk in the city due to the pitiable condition of footpaths and had emphasized that pedestrian friendly streets was a priority for BMC.

Rajlaxmi Narayanan was returning to her home in Pestom Sagar in Chembur (West) on May 4, when she tripped over a concrete block. "As road works are going in many parts of Pestom Sagar, the footpath was blocked by construction materials," says the 70-year-old. "I lost my balance while crossing a cement concrete block, and fell down." She considers herself fortunate as she was walking very slowly, and hurt only her face and fingers.

After the incident, residents of the area lodged a complaint with M West ward (west). "The accident occurred due to bad roads," says Mohini Thakare, joint secretary of Pestom Sagar Citizens Forum, "This is not the first incident.

"Another senior citizen suffered a fall last month due to ongoing road works." She added that the internal roads in Pestom Sagar, which is situated adjacent to Chedda Nagar, are a complete mess due to road work.

Shambhaji Ghag, executive engineer and incharge of M West ward, shrugged off any responsibility, saying the site falls under MMRDA. MMRDA officials say the area is not under their jurisdiction.

Meanwhile in Mulund (west), Chaitali Jadhav was coming home to Shriram Nagar from work on Thursday, when a barricade over an incomplete drainwork on LBS Marg fell on her leg, causing a fracture. The incomplete stretch of drainage is located near Johnson and Johnson junction.

Assistant commissioner of T ward, Kishore Gandhi, said that the drain work is being carried out by the BMC's Central Agencies Road department. He was not aware about the incident, but added the civic body would assess all ongoing works by May 25. "We will bring all ongoing work to safety level and no further work will be carried out thereafter," he added.

No road for pedestrians

Rajlaxmi Narayanan, 71, fell while crossing over a concrete block on a footpath in Pestom Sagar, Chembur. Her face and fingers were injured. A barricade fell on 21-year-old Chaitali Jadhav’s leg in Mulund, fracturing it.