'Mumbai will be pothole free in the next 2-3 years,' promises CM Eknath Shinde on Maniesh Paul's podcast

Eknath Shinde and Maniesh Paul

Actor and host Maniesh Paul is a man of many talents. He also hosts a podcast show and the latest guest on his show is none other than Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Amid the election season in the country, Paul dropped the video of his conversation with the CM where they discussed several topics pertaining to Mumbai and the state. One of the topics that Paul addressed is the state of the roads in Mumbai which has been a major concern among citizens of the city.

During the conversation, Maniesh Paul asked the CM when the city will become pothole-free. Responding to the question, the CM said, "Pehle mai CM nahi tha. Tab BMC mai kaun kaam dekhta tha aapko pata hai. Ab jab main CM ban gaya tab main commissioner ko bulaya. Har baarish mai logo ko gaddha ka saamna karna padta hai, bahut face karna padta hai. Yeh 10-15 saal main, ye jo repair work har baarish main karte hai baarish se pehle, kitne kharch hue, bole Rs 3500 cr (I was not the CM earlier. Everyone know who looked after the work in BMC. After I became a CM, I called the commissioner and asked him, 'Every monsoon people have to face potholes. How much has been spent in the last 10-15 years for repair work on the roads before monsoon?' He said Rs 3500 cr".

Maniesh expressed shock over the amount and asked why the roads are not proper despite the investment. To this, the CM added, "Yehi toh daal mai kaala tha, black main white main black, ye sab chaalu tha. Maine unka dhandha bandh kard diya. 700-800 kms ke road concrete ke ho jaayenge, toh inka har saal ka woh band. Logo ko jo milna hai suvidha unko milni chahiye, iske upar mai kaam kar raha hu. (There was something fishy. I stopped this business. If 700-800 kms of road are made in concrete then this annual business of repairing will end. I have been working towards the facilities that people deserve)".

CM Shinde further promised the vision of a pothole free Mumbai. "Agle 2-2.5 years mai Mumbai complete pothole free hojayegi. 100 percent," he said.

The Chief Minister also addressed the dugged-up roads across the city because of infrastructure upgrade. He said that the city is developing and said that citizens will have to face inconvenience temporarily and in the future reap the benefits of new projects.