ANDHERA!!! Mulund Colony In Darkness!
When night falls, Mulund Colony acquires an eerie appearance as the place is gripped by an unnerving silence due to the dense blackout all around. Geeta Kadam, a resident, told Home Times, “There is a scary feeling of profound silence all around as most of the street lights in our area are non-functional. Due to intense darkness, it is very difficult to commute on the road, particularly for ladies and senior citizens. It is, indeed, deplorable that the main road of Mulund Colony which is thronged by almost every second resident is lying in pitch darkness!” lamented Kadam.
According to Geeta, the darkness is so extreme at night that people are unable to see the road. Hence, the possibilities of accidents have escalated. Terrified at the grave situation of Mulund Colony, she said, “Since it is difficult to observe distant vehicles, hence chances of accidents have multiplied. But, alas, despite several complaints to MSEDCL, the concerned officials have given a blind eye to our gave issue.”
Like Geeta Kadam, many people living in Mulund Colony are frustrated with the constant blackouts at night. For the past many months, street lights at numerous places in Mulund Colony are not functioning like Jai Shastri Nagar, Shanker Tekdi, Hanuman Pada and outside Sri Dasmesh Public School. Due to this, the entire Mulund Colony lies plunged in darkness at night, causing great hardship to commuters and local residents.
Another local from the area said, “The roads are so dark that at night that nobody can commute without a torch. What is terrifying is that Mulund Colony is surrounded by Sanjay Gandhi National Park, hence there is always the fear of wild animals.” He added, “Further, anti-socials also take advantage of this darkness. Instances of chain -snatching have been reported in the area. In addition, some notorious hoodlums have even broken the safety grill installed at the boundary wall of Highland Park building.”
Aruna Ghadge, a resident and social activist, lamented, “Mulund Colony is a thickly populated area and to deprive such a populated area of basic needs like electricity is, indeed, appalling. The few street lights that are working have their meter boxes lying open, posing threat to little children who play around.” “Besides lacking street lights, the ladies of the area are harassed and exploited daily. Taking undue advantage of the darkness, hoodlums unleash terror forcing the local residents to stay indoors at night,” she blasted.
