The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has commenced the installation of utility ducts along several roads, a move long awaited by city residents. Though delayed, the NMMC, as the city's planning authority, is investing crores of rupees to dismantle cement roads in various areas and lay the ducts. This project aims to prevent future disruptions caused by repeated digging for utility work.
The Alert Citizen Forum, a local citizens' group advocating for a duct system across the city, has welcomed the initiative. However, the forum has urged the civic body to expand the installation of utility ducts across Navi Mumbai to prevent frequent road excavations.
Sudhir Dani, a representative from the Alert Citizen Forum, emphasized that in developed countries, various-sized pipes are installed during the initial road construction to avoid the need for repeated digging. He stressed that a similar system should be implemented in Navi Mumbai. The forum had raised this demand three years ago by filing a complaint with the Police Commissioner, accusing the municipal administration of deliberate negligence, which resulted in the loss of public funds due to road damage. At that time, city engineers had assured the forum that underground utility ducts would be prioritised.
Currently, NMMC is laying water pipelines in multiple areas. Dani suggested that installing utility ducts simultaneously would eliminate the need for future road digging, thus saving time and money. However, he criticized the administration for delaying this essential infrastructure project, citing the significant funding required for its completion.
Dani also pointed out that the construction of utility ducts requires not only financial resources but also the "sincere will and vision" of the administration. He added that by installing ducts during ongoing work, additional funding would not be needed.
The forum highlighted an example from the stretch between Kopri Bhau Patil Chowk and Agroli Flyover, where pipes are being laid on the footpath and are expected to be installed within the next 2–3 days. The forum has requested that utility duct pipes be installed during this work and called for similar action on other ongoing road projects across the city.
The Alert Citizen Forum has warned that if the municipal administration fails to utilize these opportunities for utility duct installation, it will file another complaint under the clause of "intentional damage to national property" and may explore filing a public interest litigation (PIL).