Out of 910 roads, only 38 concreted by BMC before rains

Representative Image

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), responsible for road infrastructure in the city, has admitted that out of approximately 910 roads, only 38 have been converted into concrete roads before the monsoon season. The responsibility for potholes and bad patches on these roads will rest with five contractors until the roadworks are completed. Notices have been sent to the contractors, and the BMC officials have warned that penal action will be taken against them if they fail to fulfil their obligations.

In February, the BMC awarded a contract worth Rs 7,000 crore to five firms to convert 397 kilometres of city roads into cement concrete. This project encompasses 910 roads, with 214 in the city, 182 in the eastern suburbs, and 514 in the western suburbs. A groundbreaking ceremony for 111 of these roads took place in February at a grand event attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. However, work has only commenced on 86 of these roads. "The work on 38 stretches was completed before the monsoon. The remaining roads will be taken up after the monsoon season," stated P Velrasu, Additional Commissioner of the BMC.

Potholes to be an issue again

The issue of potholes is expected to arise during the monsoon, as nearly 50 per cent of the roads still have asphalt surfaces, which are susceptible to potholes due to trenching and heavy rains. Initially, the ward offices were given the responsibility for maintaining roads up to 9 metres, but the decision was later reversed, and now they are only responsible for gullies less than 6 metres in width to ensure they remain free from potholes. The remaining roads are under the purview of the road department. "The responsibility for roads under the defect liability period (three years for asphalt and five years for concrete roads) and project roads (where contracts have already been assigned) lies with the contractors. So, the 397 kilometres of roads assigned to the contractors for concreting is their responsibility.
The BMC has already informed them, and if they fail to fulfil their obligations, we will take penal action," stated P. Velrasu.

Contractors fined

Out of the 912 roads earmarked for concreting, work has commenced on 16 roads in the eastern suburbs, 5 roads in the city, and 65 roads in the western suburbs. "However, the contractor responsible for the city roads has not completed a single road, and we have imposed a fine of Rs 4 crore on them," added Velrasu. The BMC has been undertaking the conversion of asphalt roads, which constitute a network of 2,050 kilometres in the city and its suburbs, to cement concrete over the past few years. However, as of last year, only 990 kilometres of roads had been completed under this initiative.