Mumbai residents flag noisy bikes, pigeon feeding, dug-up road; BEST, civic bodies respond

Residents from different parts of Mumbai have put forward their everyday problems. Some are troubled by bikes roaring through the night, others by potholes and broken concrete on the road. Officials have responded to some of the complaints.

John Dantis, a senior citizen living in Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari East, says bikes with modified silencers ride around all night there. He called 100 several times but got no response. He even went to the police chowki in person, yet no action was taken. He is thoroughly fed up with the problem.

Suraj Shetty of Borivali West has complained about people feeding pigeons. According to him, despite many complaints, people throw grain on the footpath in the early morning and late at night. He wants the BMC to deploy marshals to stop the practice. The feeding spot is near Hiren Circle, opposite the Jain derasar, on the road connecting Jayraj Nagar and Yogi Nagar.

Atharv Sathe has urged BEST to restore bus routes that were changed or discontinued two years ago, now that Sion Bridge has reopened. He has asked for some routes to be started from Rani Laxmibai Chowk to Dharavi and to the BKC metro station, so that office-goers and students benefit most.

Gautam Lankad has raised the issue of public roads and footpaths being occupied in the name of festivals. He says he respects every community's right to celebrate festivals. But no celebration, whether religious, cultural or political, should become a complete exemption from civic rules, and the movement, safety and daily lives of others must be considered. He has asked officials to check whether this particular structure conforms to approvals and rules, rather than accept it merely because of the festival's purpose.

Ravi D Baliga has raised the issue of loudspeakers. According to him, the noise during festivals is deafening. Organisers' music should stay within the prescribed decibel limit, and the authorities concerned should monitor it. He also said that, both by day and night, some bikers deliberately ride with modified silencers. He wants the police to patrol at night and such bikers to be heavily fined.

The concrete road on 14th Road in Khar West was dug up two weeks ago for some civil work. According to Karishma Jamwal, the dug-up stretch was covered haphazardly, creating a large bulge that makes it difficult for vehicles to pass. The excavated concrete has also been left lying at the side.

Keith Stephen Tauro, a senior citizen living in Orlem, Malad West, said that on some days it is almost impossible to find an auto, and drivers refuse passengers at will. He asked what would happen in a medical emergency. He also asked whether traffic police personnel are paid to look the other way.

Some departments have replied to queries and complaints sent last Monday. On Piyush Gudla's complaint about year-round traffic jams, a traffic employee at the local police chowki near Kalyan Phata said they were continuously monitoring movement and that a plan had been made to reduce the problem by stopping heavy vehicles.

In a concerned citizen's complaint about hurdles in getting birth certificates, several BMC officials were called and messaged repeatedly, but none responded.

On Yogesh Sawant's complaint about a vanished footpath, a local Thane Municipal Corporation official said the abandoned vehicles and other items seen in the photograph would be removed in the next anti-encroachment drive. The roads department will also be told to level and repair the footpath.

On Ravi D Baliga's bus problem, BEST headquarters officials said they had identified the problem and had deployed local inspectors and supervisors, depot-wise, to track complaints of missed bus stops. Officials will also travel on buses to inspect. They also said passengers should inform officials of every such missed stop.