Ahead of Ganeshotsav, BMC starts fixing Aarey Milk Colony’s infamous pothole-ridden roads

BMC workers fix the main road in Aarey Milk Colony

Motorists will soon get some relief from the nightmarish ride on the crater-filled main road at Aarey Milk Colony and can thank Ganpati Bappa for it. Ahead of Ganeshotsav, the BMC has begun fixing the thoroughfares. Chhota Kashmir lake at Aarey is a popular destination for idol immersion. Until recently, the stretch was perhaps the worst road for motorists in the city.

"From Saturday, there has been a decrease in the rainfall and we don't want the motorists to face inconvenience. So the temporary repair work of the potholes on the main Aarey road between the Western Express Highway and Aarey Market and from Aarey hospital to Picnic Point has started," said a civic official.

Also read: Mumbai: Pothole woes continue on SV Road, Aarey

BMC workers fix the main road at Aarey Milk Colony. Motorists have been complaining about the poor road conditions in the area

While small potholes are being filled with paver blocks, asphalt is being used to fix the medium to big craters. Since the traffic from the main Aarey road is diverted via internal roads on Ganpati idol immersion days, the corporation also plans to repair some internal roads to avoid congestion on the lanes.

mid-day has repeatedly highlighted the poor condition of the roads at Aarey and the risks they pose to vehicle users, particularly those on two-wheelers. During a recent visit, mid-day found that the internal road between the New Zealand hostel to Goregaon check naka had developed many potholes. BMC's efforts to do patch-up jobs have failed so far.

The condition of the road near Aarey lake in Goregaon, on August 10. BMC's efforts to do patch work haven't been successful so far. Pic/Satej Shinde

Aarey has more than 40 km of internal roads connecting 28 tribal hamlets and 32 units. The area is dotted with cattle farms that transport milk outside the area. However, bad roads force milk vans to restrict their speed to just 10 kilometres per hour.

40 km
Length of Aarey's internal roads