Mumbaikars’ commuting woes: suffocating local trains, BEST buses’ uncertain future, unsafe autos

auto rickshaw

Save Mumbai from potholes! 01:57

The mangled remains of the auto on which the truck collapsed in Kalyan yesterday. One of the passengers, Hasim Shaikh, died on the spot. (PICS: AMJAD KHAN)

(L) Cranes remove the mangled remains of the auto rickshaw on which the truck collapsed; Where’s the road here? Several roads in Mumbai are riddled with such craters

Photos: Mumbai rains bring city to a standstill, suburbs worst hit 1 15 Central Railway locals were delayed but running on all lines Trains were running on all three services of Central Railways with delays. This photo is taken in Sion on July 9, 2018. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Mumbai Rains: Reality vs Dreams This picture perfectly sums up what many Mumbaikars live through every day- the widening gap between their dreams and reality. This photo was taken on July 9, 2018 at King's Circle, that's notorious for getting flooded with a few hours of heavy rain. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Vasai residents marooned after heavy rains A bird's eye view of a waterlogged road in Vasai's Evershine City. Power supply was cut as the water levels didn't recede. Residents have been braving the heavy downpour and waterlogging. Power supply is expected to be restored by Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Waterlogging at King's Circle A bird's eye view of the flooding at King's Circle was on July 9, 2018. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL A selfie for every occasion? In the midst of people wading through uncertain waters, this man not just managed to get on top of a stranded bus but he also promptly fished out his plastic-covered phone for a selfie. This photo was taken in Vasai. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Mumbai police directing traffic at King's circle A Mumbai policeman directs vehicles in waterlogged King's Circle on July 9, 2018. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Waterlogging at King's circle For many on the road, crossing King's Circle was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The flyover was jammed but at the end of the flyover, there was no respite and vehicles had no other option but to wade through water, with no idea where the potholes lay ahead on the waterlogged roads. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Mumbai Rains: A child enjoys a bike ride in Sion There was waterlogging in a number of areas in Mumbai. Low lying areas like Hind Mata, Sion, Wadala bore the brunt of flooded roads but for this child, the rains came with a joyride. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Mumbai Rains: Waterlogging on tracks in Sion There was waterlogging on the train tracks in Sion. People made their way through the flooded tracks. This photo was taken on July 9, 2018. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL No cycling through this jam in Vasai A cyclist tries to negotiate the flooded waters in Vasai's Evershine City area. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Vasai: Don't miss the dive As people were stranded in Vasai, even heavy vehicles could not navigate through the rising water levels. Citizens took the help of one another to make their way through the waterlogged roads, unsure of what lay ahead. In the midst of this chaos, one person still found the time to make the most of it. Look out for a man mid-air! Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Mumbai Rains: Waterlogging on tracks near Parel Trains on Central Railways were working on all three lines, namely, Central, Harbour and Trans-Harbour. There were approximately 130 cancellations on the Central Line. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL Ambulance has a tough time through waterlogged Vasai Knee-deep water in Vasai meant that residents were marooned in their homes. The waterlogging created more problems for emergency services like ambulances that had a tough time trying to make its way out of the flooded roads. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Rafts to the rescue in Vasai Stranded residents in Vasai who had braved the heavy downpour and the flooding were rescued with the help of rafts like these. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Mumbai Rains expose poor infrastructure A truck tries to make its way through the waterlogged roads around King's Circle. Many BEST buses were diverted from King's Circle. Photo by Deepak Turbhekar/ BCCL

ByandThe Mumbai region has around 4 lakh autos, making it citizens’ preferred choice of transport, even as auto drivers ride in fear of injuries due to bad roads.Things have come to such a pass on Mumbai’s craterridden roads that one of the city’s cheapest and most convenient modes of transport – the– is no longer a safe vehicle to ride. A tragic example of this is the death of a 40-year-old chicken-seller from Kalyan, Hasim Shaikh, who was killed on the spot around 8 am yesterday when a truck hit a giant pothole and crashed onto the autorickshaw Shaikh was riding.There are more than 4 lakh auto rickshaws in the Mumbai region, and the drivers’ union leaders told this newspaper that bad roads were the biggest challenge for them. Union leaders said apart from dangers to passengers, drivers were suffering from health hazards such as backache due to riding in potholes.In yesterday’s incident, the truck driver told the police that the pothole was covered in water and he couldn’t gauge its size. The victim, Shaikh, a resident of Kalyan’s Dudhnaka who leaves behind his wife and two children aged seven and 11, was on his way to work that earned him around Rs 300 a day. Shaikh’s co-passenger, Vishnu Taralkar, is battling for life at Kalyan’s Ved Hospital after suffering serious injuries, while the auto driver, Mustaq Ahmed Ansari, suffered deep bruises.The truck driver, Maqbool Hussain Makhandar, a resident of Karnataka’s Belgaum who was on his way to deliver the fodder in Bhiwandi, has been booked for rash and negligent driving. Senior Inspector RT Katkar from Kongaon Police Station said, “Makhandar told us that he realised the size of the pothole only after the truck crashed into it. He lost control and the truck flipped over onto the auto rickshaw.”The police said the stretch where the accident occurred is maintained by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited, but nobody from the agency has been named in the first information report.Ironically, on Tuesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Legislative Assembly in Nagpur that the number of potholes in the city had come down drastically due to the measures adopted by the civic body. While the pictures tell a different story (see Page 1 and above), Fadnavis said areas under the BMC had only 4,044 potholes, compared to 14,455 in 2014-15.Thampy Kurian, general secretary of the Mumbai Rickshaw Men’s Union which has around 12,000 members, said: “Potholes pose a grave danger to the drivers’ and passengers’ safety. During monsoon, drivers have no way of knowing how deep the potholes are. For those driving cars, the only damage sustained on hitting potholes is to the vehicle itself. However, in our case, since auto rickshaws are fragile vehicles, there is a risk of injuries to the driver and passengers.”He lamented that it has been the same story year after year. “What can we expect when the BMC continues to use the same contractors who carry out shoddy road repair work. We can only hope that the authorities pay heed to our concerns and address the issue,” he said.