Mumbai: The much-needed repairs of BG Kher Marg, the road that links areas like Malabar Hill, Walkeshwar, Kemp’s Corner to the rest of Mumbai does not seem to begin anytime soon, according to sources at the BMC.
The road that was damaged following a massive landslide after incessant rains in August 2020, will now be repaired only after an inspection post monsoon. "It is very important to observe what happens on the hill slope during monsoon this year. Only after observing the effects of heavy rains on the slope will we be able to start with the repair works accordingly," said a senior BMC official.
Formerly called as the Ridge Road, it is a long stretch running parallel to Walkeshwar. Named after former premier of the erstwhile State of Bombay, Bal Gangadhar Kher or B G Kher, the road is sometimes still referred to by its old moniker.
The road links the Malabar hill to a crucial junction, where Hughes Road, Napean Sea Road and Peddar Road connect. In a sense, it covered the ‘gap’ between the Malabar hill and the rest of Mumbai, and hence started to be called as the Ridge Road.
The landslide near Kemps corner flyover on August 5, 2020 developed huge cracks on BG Kher Marg (Ridge Road) outside the iconic hanging garden and damaged the retaining wall of the garden too.
The incident did not just damage the road near Kemps Corner, Hughes Road but also led to the collapse of many trees on the stretch and damage to the main water pipeline that supplied water to D ward. The pipeline has been temporarily fixed and water supply was restored immediately by the BMC hydraulic department.
After the landslide, BMC formed a technical advisory committee, which included professors from IIT, NMIMS, BMC officials and members from structural consultancy companies, to study the condition of soil and road before reconstruction of the patch. As per reports, the Geo Technical investigation is completed as per the recommendation of the committee.
The work to be carried out on the stretch includes stabilisation of hill slope, retention of wall, repair of N S Patkar Marg and B G Kher Marg. While work in stabilising the hill slope and repair of N S Patkar Marg has already been undertaken by BMC, the Ridge Road will have to wait till post monsoon 2021.
