Senior citizen injured by protruding gas pipeline lid in Vashi

A senior citizen was injured after tripping over a protruding gas pipeline lid near ESIS Hospital in Sector 5 Vashi on WednesdayThe victim identified as Praveen Belif a resident of Sector 9 fell facefirst while walking along the busy stretch Her spectacles shattered on impact causing facial injuries Locals said the uneven lid caused her to lose balance suddenly in a highfootfall zone near the hospitalSocial activist and Vashi resident advocate Anshu Vaardhaan rushed to help He provided water and immediately arranged for medical attention Even after several attempts MGL PR was unavailable for commentCivic responseOfficials from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation gave limited clarity Sukhdev Yedve assistant commissioner and ward officer said ldquoI am handling administrative work For technical details you may contact the executive engineerrdquoUneven pavement near ESIS Hospital in Sector 5 that caused the fallPandharinath Chavde executive engineer Vashi ward said ldquoI will inspect the location Estimates for footpath work in Sectors 5 to 8 have been submitted and tenders for one area have already been completedrdquolsquoThis is criminal negligencersquoCalling the incident avoidable Vaardhaan said ldquoThis is no longer an accident but the result of years of NMMCrsquos criminal negligence A senior citizen fell facefirst and her glasses shattered into her eyes because of a protruding gas pipeline lid near ESIS Hospital Despite repeated letters the ward office continues to ignore these hazards mdash uneven footpaths fibre optic ducts uneven manholes gas pipeline ducts and broken streetlightsrdquo He added ldquoAre the authorities waiting for a fatality before they act We pay taxes for safety not hospital bills I demand an immediate audit and levelling of all such hazards across VashirdquoNot the first incidentProtruding gas pipeline lid that led to the accidentLocals said such accidents are frequent in the area Pramila Vijay Kapoor 69 a resident of Sector 7 recalled ldquoOn July 14 2024 I slipped on an uneven footpath and hit a drainage lid I needed three stitches and it took nearly a month to heal Only a temporary repair was done with no permanent solutionrdquoHighrisk zone for elderlyThe stretch between Sectors 5 and 8 is dominated by row houses and is home to an estimated 2500 senior citizens making such hazards particularly dangerousldquoUneven footpaths potholes and open lids are risky especially for elderly residents who walk here dailyrdquo said a local residentThe presence of ESIS Hospital further increases pedestrian movement including patients and visitorsResidents demand actionResidents allege that despite repeated complaints only temporary fixes have been carried out with no longterm solutionWith growing concern locals are now demanding urgent timebound action before such incidents turn fatalCivic hazards flaggedgtgt Protruding gas pipeline lidsgtgt Uneven and broken footpathsgtgt Raised manhole coversDemand Immediate audit levelling and permanent repairs across affected sectors