Wadala road cleared for commuters after 10 years, 600 vehicles removed

BMC and Antop Hill traffic police cleared over 600 vehicles and encroachments near Dosti Acres, improving traffic flow for Wadala residents.

MUMBAI: The BMC, in collaboration with the Antop Hill traffic police, removed more than 600 vehicles, many of which were abandoned or illegally parked near Dosti Acres in Wadala for more than 10 years, freeing up the road for commuters. During the drive, 150 two-wheelers were also fined and encroachments on footpath cleared.

Wadala road cleared for commuters after 10 years, 600 vehicles removed

The stretch from Shaikh Misri Shah Dargah (SMD) Chowk to Acharya Atre Nagar Monorail Station had become a major bottleneck for local residents, due to illegal car and two-wheeler parking, unauthorised construction of shops, and encroachment by hawkers.

Vaysingh Patil, senior inspector, Antop Hill traffic division, told HT that a nine-hour drive from 9:30am to 2:30pm was undertaken last Friday using a 100-strong team comprising police, traffic and civic officials. The team removed illegal hawkers, unauthorised extensions of shops, and encroachments on footpaths with the help of JCB machines.

“Out of 600 vehicles, 80 paid the fine and took their vehicles. The rest were towed. Announcements had been made for the last 15 days not to park on that road. Despite this, trucks and buses were also parked there illegally. It was a major inconvenience for commuters and pedestrians. Only those who were parking for free on this road are distressed now,” said Patil.

Problems on the half-km road, made one-way due to the work on Monorail Phase-II, worsened since the monorail service started, with than 500 two-wheelers, taxis, cars and lorries parked illegally on one side of the road. “Now traffic flows smoothly on both sides of the road which had to be shut down for traffic earlier,” said Patil.

Nitin Shukla, assistant commissioner, F north ward, said, “SMD road was full of encroachments, illegal structures, illegal parking, and abandoned vehicles. The road, which was two-way, was getting wasted. Now, that it has been cleared, the road can be used two ways for traffic and Wadala residents can go past SMD road without taking a circuitous route to reach Dosti Acres,”