Snarls jam Thane-Belapur Rd, Sion-Panvel Highway

Navi Mumbai: The initial spell of rain in Navi Mumbai has exposed the shoddy pre-monsoon preparedness work, citizens activists said on Monday. Uncovered storm water drains at Cidco, PCMC and NMMC have added to the woes, they said.

Sion-Panvel Highway was submerged at low-laying spots despite the public works department carrying out Rs 70 concretization project on the 25km patch between Mankhurd and Kalamboli.

Besides, the Thane-Belapur Road, which connects Thane and Navi Mumbai, witnessed waterlogging leading to traffic snarls. Another vital connectivity such as Mulund-Airoli Road caused trouble for motorists as the entire route was flooded.

More than 800mm rainfall in just four days, from Friday to Monday, punctured the rain-ready promises. CBD Belapur depot was flooded for three days and officials blamed the high tide for it. Similarly, 256mm rainfall between Sunday and Monday in Belapur brought the Konkan Bhavan to its knee as the ground floor was flooded, throwing regular office work out of gear. Several government agencies operate from this building.

Power and telephone lines took a hit too.

Potholes surfaced on the newly opened Kalamboli flyover, causing traffic snarls. S-P Highway was jampacked on Monday due to flooding and poor visibility that slowed vehicular movement. “It is the same old story of citizen pain while negotiating arterial roads. Quality of work is missing,” said resident Ankush Vaity. Tondare villagers in Panvel blocked their road on Monday to protest against the flooding. The health centre at Wavanje near Taloja industrial area was submerged on Sunday, leaving patients in the lurch.