Chandivali Residents Plan 'Sadbuddhi Havan' Over Delayed 90-Foot Road
Residents of Chandivali in Mumbai have announced plans to perform a 'Sadbuddhi Havan' on Sunday to protest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's prolonged delay in constructing a vital public road. The Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association organized the ritual to mark the third anniversary of the civic body's announcement of the 90-foot road project, which remains largely unbuilt.
The proposed 90-foot road is meant to connect Chandivali Farm Road to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, a route originally designated in Mumbai's Development Plan of 1990. According to the association, the spiritual intervention is a symbolic last resort following years of bureaucratic inaction and worsening traffic congestion in the area.
The fight for the infrastructure project has spanned several years. In February 2023, association members held a peaceful demonstration and submitted a formal proposal to civic officials. A tender for the project was later floated in August 2023 after residents staged a hunger strike. However, only one-third of the 600-metre road was constructed in 2021, and that unfinished section is currently being used as a vehicle parking area.
The issue previously drew attention from the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, which took suo motu cognisance in August 2023. The commission observed that the human rights of local residents were being infringed upon due to municipal delays and raised concerns over the administrative handling of the project.
Residents noted that while the civic administration has continued approving massive high-density residential and commercial projects in the Powai-Chandivali belt, surrounding transport infrastructure has not kept pace. This imbalance has caused severe traffic bottlenecks for commuters traveling through the cramped lanes of Chandivali and Saki Naka.
Association founder Mandeep Singh Makkar stated that having submitted letters, staged protests, observed hunger strikes, and approached political representatives without result, the community felt compelled to hold the prayer ritual to urge officials to act. He also urged the municipal corporation to freeze permissions for new high-density developments until long-delayed road projects are completed.
