A BMC official said the penalties have been imposed because of the contractors’ failure to adequately maintain roads scheduled for concretization. The official emphasized that strict action is being taken against all pothole-related complaints, and expressed hope that once all roads are concretized, the city’s pothole woes will cease. The Rs 6,000-crore concretization project is aimed at transforming 890 road stretches in Mumbai.
In May, some of the contractors involved in the project had informed the BMC that they would not be able to maintain roads they had not yet taken up for repair work. But the BMC was firm that a clause in the tender specified that contractors were obligated to maintain all roads for which work orders had been issued. The decision to concretize all of Mumbai’s roads was announced by chief minister Eknath Shinde in July last year as part of a plan to make the city’s roads pothole-free.
Despite the BMC’s claim of filling nearly 6,000 potholes between April 1 and July 24, a reality check has revealed that these efforts have done little to alleviate the plight of motorists. The recurring problem of potholes resurfacing almost immediately after being filled has been a major cause of frustration for the city’s residents. Filmmaker and activist Ashoke Pandit expressed his dismay over the terrible condition of the road opposite Citi Mall, Andheri.
Describing his driving experience as back-breaking, he highlighted that the road connects to offices that significantly contribute to tax revenue. “And yet, despite complaints about waterlogging and numerous potholes year after year, the authorities have seemingly been incapable of resolving the issue. Citizens are left wondering why the basic necessity of good roads is being denied to them,” he said.
“The stop-gap measures taken by the civic body to patch up potholes constantly get washed away by relentless rains,” said Mahim resident Mushtaq Ansari. In response to a complaint on Twitter about the pothole-riddled Juhu Tara Road, a resident, Nicky Dsouza, was surprised when the BMC promptly filled the potholes the next day. But his frustration mounted as the filling material was washed away within a day. “The persistently poor road conditions have caused major traffic congestion and jams in the area, further highlighting how harried residents are, especially during the rains,” he said.
In the eastern suburbs, RTI activist Anil Galgali raised concerns about MN Road, Kurla, which has at least 100 potholes. “Despite my complaints and discussions with the BMC’s roads department officers, no action seems to have been taken against unscrupulous officials and contractors,” he said. Meanwhile, the BMC advocates the use of cement-concrete road works as a definitive solution. Additional municipal commissioner P Velrasu, in charge of the civic roads department, assured that they are doing their best to tackle the problem. “This year, we have tried to keep all arterial roads like the Eastern and Western Express Highways and the Freeway pothole-free,” he said. “But if complaints come in, we tackle them. Once all roads are concretized, motorists can expect relief from the city’s pothole problem.”
