Mumbai: BMC's 'concrete solution' to city potholes delayed

The BMC will concrete 400 km of roads. File pic

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a work order for the concreting of 912 roads in Mumbai in January 2023. It also performed a groundbreaking ceremony for 111 of those roads in the month of February at a mega event in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. But work has begun on only 86 of those roads.

The BMC has decided to concrete 400 km of roads as soon as possible as a solution to the problem of potholes. It will spend Rs 6,000 crore on this mega concreting project. As per an estimate, the project will be complete by 2026. The proposal for it was approved in January 2023. In the past three months, BMC has started work on only 86 roads.

On February 26, 2023, BMC performed a groundbreaking ceremony for the work on 111 roads in the presence of the CM with much fanfare. Civic activist Anil Galgali slammed the authority for the delay. "The BMC always makes big announcements, but the situation is different on the ground. Work on over 900 roads started at the same in a city like Mumbai will create more traffic congestion. BMC shows off numbers which is not practical," said Galgali.

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Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Sheikh said, "The BMC should let citizens know about road work. It should declare what action they take against contractors for the delay in work. Civic chief I S Chahal should reveal the progress of road work. I had written a letter to him about this. Citizens should know what is happening to the roads."

There are around 2,000 km of roads in BMC limits. Out of these, 950 km of roads have already been concreted. Of the 912 roads that have to be concreted, 214 roads are in the city, 182 roads are in the eastern suburbs and 514 roads are in the western suburbs. Work has begun on 16 roads in the eastern suburbs, 5 roads in the city and 65 roads in the western suburbs. Civic chief Chahal did not respond to messages.