A large number of residents, along with ward panch Santosh Dessai and Sancoale Panch Girish Pillai, gathered near the MES Junction on Thursday morning to express their anger over the slow pace of work. The unfinished stretch has become a major concern for commuters, students and motorists who use the road every day.
Residents said the road has remained dug up for a long time, leading to traffic congestion, dust pollution and safety risks. They added that repeated assurances on completing the work have not resulted in any noticeable progress on the ground.
During a site inspection, representatives of MVR Infrastructure, the agency carrying out the project, said the delay was due to pending utility-shifting works.
According to company officials, underground infrastructure belonging to Adani Gas and the ZIOTL fuel pipeline has yet to be relocated, preventing work from progressing on certain sections of the road.
However, residents were not satisfied with the explanation and demanded better coordination among all agencies involved in the project.
“We have been facing inconvenience for months. Every day, commuters are forced to travel through a partially completed road. With the monsoon setting in, there are fears that the work will be delayed even further,” a resident said.
Ward panch Santosh Dessai said people had shown patience for long enough and called for immediate steps to resolve the pending issues.
“The authorities and all agencies involved must come together and find a solution. Residents cannot continue to suffer because of poor coordination. The road should be completed before the rains intensify,” he said.
Locals warned that if visible progress is not seen soon, residents would be forced to take to the streets in protest. They urged the concerned departments to speed up the utility-shifting process and ensure that the road project is completed without any further delay.
The gathering ended with a strong appeal for urgent intervention, with residents insisting that the issue could no longer be allowed to drag on indefinitely.
