October 16, 2025: The Sankalp Welfare Association has written to the Commissioner of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), urging the civic body to include common underground utility ducts in all ongoing and future infrastructure projects. The move aims to prevent repeated road excavations, citizen inconvenience, and wastage of public funds.
In its letter, the NGO highlighted ongoing road-digging activity at Parsik Hill for laying water pipelines, despite the road being in excellent condition. The association alleged that such repetitive work reflects poor coordination among NMMC departments and leads to significant financial losses. “Repeated digging causes serious inconvenience to citizens and waste of crores of rupees on avoidable repairs,” the NGO stated.
The Sankalp Welfare Association pointed out that multiple departments—including water supply, telecom, power, and internet providers—often dig up newly built roads to lay pipelines or cables, destroying quality infrastructure and straining civic finances.
Adv. Vishwanath S. Kulkarni, representing the NGO, urged NMMC to:
- Mandate a common utility duct in all underground works.
- Conduct a site inspection at Parsik Hill before allowing further excavation.
- Fix accountability on officials responsible for unnecessary damage.
- Ensure that all Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for new roads and infrastructure include dedicated underground utility corridors.
The NGO warned that failure to act promptly “will amount to deliberate negligence causing loss to national property” and indicated it would approach the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra if corrective measures are not taken. Copies of the representation have also been forwarded to the Secretary, Urban Development Department, Mantralaya, and Sajag Nagrik Manch, Navi Mumbai.
By advocating for common utility ducts, the NGO aims to ensure better coordination, cost savings, and preservation of newly built infrastructure in Navi Mumbai.
Source: The Free Press Journal
