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1,624 new potholes after few days of rain……….Sharad Vyas & Chittaranjan Tembekar
MUMBAI: Pockmarked and potholed roads have become a sore point with Mumbaikars. Many stretches on arterial and inner roads have literally split wide open in the wake of the fresh spell of rainfall. Over the last ten days 1,624 pothole patches have come up on inner roads across the city. At last count, there are more than 25 bad patches on major roads including the Western and Express Highways. This, despite the fact that the civic body’s annual budget for potholes is nearly Rs 40 crore.
Of the total 1,940-km road network, 350 km are the worst-affected. It’s worth noting that these stretches of bitumen roads were developed in an ‘integrated’ manner under a Defect Liability Provision (DLF) where a private contractor who takes up road improvement remains responsible for its upkeep for five years.
“The DFL contractors are enjoying a free hand in the absence of proper supervision from both the MMRDA and the municipal body. The MMRDA had taken up 18 corridors with a DFL provision, but transferred many of them to BMC without handing over the actual contract and bank guarantees given by the contractors,” said former Public Works Department (PWD) principal secretary N V Merani. An official from the roads department said: “One of the reasons for the poor quality of roads is the lack of supervision on DFL roads. Besides, we need at least a 48-hour dry spell to ensure that repairs are effective.”
Government agencies responsible for the upkeep of these roads are only focussing on temporary solutions. There seems to be no permanent solution to the problem, at least until till the monsoon ends. Even the flyovers at Sion, RCF circle, Byculla, Parel and Dadar have developed potholes.
BMC officials say the Rs 40-core annual budget for potholes is not sufficient. While the available provisions have been distributed to the wards, a circular—directing use of only 25% of the money before the monsoons and the rest for road repair after the rainy season—has had a major impact on spending. “The situation will get worse when all roads will have to be repaired in preparation for Ganpati. The BMC will need another Rs 3 to Rs 5 crore to re-do the city’s roads,” said chief engineer (roads), A V Ralkar.
But citizens refuse to buy this explanation, given that every year government agencies promise pothole-free roads, but fail to deliver. Peak-hour traffic has become a nightmare, as cars are forced to a crawl because of bad roads. Traffic officials said, “There are around 20 bad spots on the highways alone. We are forced to deploy additional staff.”
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