An alleged long-standing property dispute in Jogeshwari’s Bherambaug has turned an abandoned plot into a shortcut that helps motorists shave off nearly an hour of traffic on the busy Swami Vivekananda Road. However, over the last 12–15 years, this unofficial road has degenerated into a garbage-strewn, mud-caked stretch with stagnant water, making it almost impossible to cross, unless absolutely necessary.
“It’s impossible to drive or even walk on this patch. I avoid it unless I absolutely must. Today, I was in a hurry and had to take this route. It’s disgusting, just looking at it is appalling,” said Gulzar Shaikh, a local resident.
Gulzar Shaikh, a local resident; Ishtyaq Ansari, a resident; Illyas Suleman Desai, a resident
The road has also turned into a hotspot for open defecation, partly due to a wall structure on one side, offering visual cover. Residents say the space is regularly used by people to relieve themselves or to consume drugs. Mounds of garbage, mostly debris-filled jute bags from nearby construction sites, lie undisturbed.
“If the authorities won’t fix the road, can they at least clean the area?” asked a woman whose house borders the dumping zone. “How long are we expected to live like this? We deserve clean surroundings. Every time it rains, we worry that trash-laced water will flood our homes.”
With the onset of the monsoon, garbage and mud have mixed to form a thick, foul-smelling sludge that chokes vehicle tyres. “All three of my auto rickshaw’s tyres sink into the water. Many times during heavy rains, my rickshaw gets stuck, and I have to get passengers to help push it out. Some even refuse to pay after that,” said a local autorickshaw driver.
Despite the road’s dreadful condition, many still use it as a time-saving detour. “It saves nearly an hour during peak traffic, so people still risk it. But our real issue is the garbage,” said Ishtyaq Ansari, a resident who, along with others, has complained multiple times about the smell and the dumping to the authorities.
“Every year, we call them. People even drive on footpaths here to avoid damaged sections. The best the BMC has done is replace some drain covers that got crushed by vehicles,” said Illyas Suleman Desai, a resident who frequently reports civic issues.
Ansari added, “We feel ashamed to call our relatives over. We’re used to the stench, but how can we expect guests to tolerate it?” Residents have also raised health concerns over waterborne diseases and mosquito breeding in the stagnant water.
“Children have fallen sick after walking through dirty water or near the garbage. The mosquito problem is worsening,” said Ajij Ahmed Shaikh, a long-time resident. “Because this road lies below the main level, water from the nallah used to gush into our homes. We had to pressure the BMC to install proper covers, which helped a little.”
For many children in the area, the road has always been this way: muddy, smelly, and unfit for walking. Locals say neither the property owners nor civic authorities have ever taken concrete steps to fix the problem. When contacted, Additional Commissioner of the K-West Ward, Mr Chakrapani Alle, under whose jurisdiction the road falls, said, “Our department, concerned with the ward, will contact mid-day with a comment.” However, by the time this report went to press, no further response had been received.
1 hour
Time saved by motorists who use the shortcut
