Chaos remains central to Dadar station

Tanvi Ghate takes a taxi to work from Dadar station every day. Her wait for the kaali-peeli has always been endless. The reason, she says, are the cluttered flower, fruits and fish markets. There are thousands of Mumbaikars who live the same toiling tale as Ghate. “I hope the authorities had at least planned a place for these markets and spared the commuters of the daily hassles,” Ghate told DNA.

Another angry Mumbaikar, who travel by the train everyday, told DNA that the struggle outside Dadar station no less than the fight while boarding or alighting a train at the station.  Even the roads are so clogged that manyatimes people step on each others’ feet. The traffic somehow manages to crawl through one of the slithering lanes of the market. There are vendors whose shops suddenly jut out on the narrow corners, leading to hurting someone in the knee or scratching of a vehicle and peeling off its skin and paint.  

“Things get worse in the evening. I get down at Kabutarkhana and walk to the station because it is faster. Tuesdays are also tough because devotees throng the Siddhivinayak Temple,” said Ghate, who stood in a queue, nearly 100 meters. 

“The BMC does not let hawkers do business till 11 am. That’s why travelling is easy in the morning,” she said. “The nightmare begins after 11 am and continues until late night. I prefer leaving late from office so that I can have a smooth commute to station,” said Hiral Joshi, who works at Century Bazaar and comes to Dadar station only after 9 pm. 

Commuters say hawkers are not the only problem. Parking of private vehicles, taxis and unruly drivers add to the woes.  

“We have raised the issue with Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) the traffic authorities so many times. We even go back to them with the complaint numbers, but nothing helps. When buses turn or reverse, taxis take drift to a different lane. It makes things worse. There has to be some preference for mass transport system, ensuring that there is smooth flow of traffic,” said a BEST bus inspector. Even taxis cause a lot of problems while ferrying commuters, especially between Siddhivinayak Temple and Worli.  

Even, east Dadar also encounters hordes of traffic woes. Taxis, at times, digress from the usual routes and surprise the other commuters. They also park at odd places on the pedestrian lane. They also refuse passengers during the noon. Also, hawkers, at times, encroach their places and force them to station at wrong places.  

“The roads need to be widened and the buses should come on time and traffic discipline is a must,” said Seema Khankar, a commuter. 

“There are places where taxis should stand, near the Swaminarayan Temple. It is because people heading for Wadala, a U-turn has to be taken which blocks the traffic,” said Anita Singh.

NO END TO WOES

• The BMC does not let hawkers do business till 11 am. That’s why commuting is easy in the morning 
   
• Commuters say hawkers are not the only problem. Parking of private vehicles, taxis and unruly drivers add to the woes 
   
• Taxi drivers at times also park at odd places, blocking the footpath

THE HURDLES

• Fruit market
• Vegetable market
• Shivaji Park
• Flower market
• Portuguese Church
• Siddhivinayak Temple
• Century Bazaar
• Offices at Prabhadevi

+6 lakhs Daily footfall at Dadar station

COP SPEAK

We regularly take action against people who  violate traffic rules. The issue at Dadar station is that it is very crowded. The BMC can remove the hawkers. We keep issuing e-challans to the violators.”
— Vyankat Patil, Assistant Commissioner of Police (central east region)

CITIZEN CHATTER

There is a lot of chaos during the peak hours. Cars move haphazardly, escalating the problem. Traffic would have been smooth if everybody were disciplined.
— Samir Jadhav, works at Wadala

There are a few little things which the autthorities  can do. The taxis can stand on the side of the Swaminarayan Temple, instead of waiting on the other side. Wasala-bound passengers take U-turn. It creates a lot of hassle for the others on the one-way lane.
— Anita Singh, works at Wadala

Commuting is a bigger hassle in the evening. Hawkers are allowed after 11 am. They occupy the entire road. The traffic management is poor.” 
— Aditya Jhaver, works at Century Bazaar

I think there is no point in having the stand for the  shared cabs and buses at the same spot. It worsens the traffic. They can shift the bus stops to different places.” 
— Carol Tauro, works at Worli

EXPERT OPINION

After the Prabhadevi road tragedy, the Bombay High Court directed the authorities to remove the clutter outside all stations. The Supreme Court has also asked authorities to demarcate hawkers and no-hawkers’ zones. Still, nothing has done. They are clearly killing the BEST by paying no attention to it.”
— Nikhil Desai, an active citizen