BMC ignored panel’s advice on laying roads….Kunal Purohit
If the civic body had followed the advice it has been given for the past two years, Mumbai would have had better roads.
An experts panel has repeatedly suggested to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that it send its engineers for courses on filling potholes, but the BMC has not bothered to even respond to the recommendation.
“Filling potholes demands specialised skills.We have been telling the BMC for two years that its engineers should be sent for half day courses on filling potholes.
But there has been no response,“ said Narayan V Merani, chairman of the standing technical advisory committee (STAC), appointed on recommendation of the Bombay High Court, to advise the BMC on roads.
But there has been no response,“ said Narayan V Merani, chairman of the standing technical advisory committee (STAC), appointed on recommendation of the Bombay High Court, to advise the BMC on roads.
As reported in HT, which has launched a campaign on the state of roads this monsoon, civic data showed that there were 6,000 potholes across 1,100 locations in the city last week, though the BMC has spent close to Rs 3 crore per km of road in the past five years.
The panel also suggested that road engineers be sent to the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay for refresher sessions to improve their knowledge. This would help them do a better job building and maintaining our roads.
Additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta refused to respond despite repeated “Considering the flak it faces every year during the monsoon, the BMC should have responded to our demand quickly,“ Merani said.
The BMC had initially promised it would send its engineers to the IIT’s refresher session before the onset of monsoon this year. “But it did not do that,“ said Merani, who is also former principal secretary, public works department.
It would benefit the city as well as the civic body if personnel from its roads department get special training on road maintenance as the department sees frequent transfers, especially at crucial positions. These transfers don’t give officials enough time to understand the problems and gain the expertise required.
“In the past five years, there have been four municipal commissioners and eight chief engineers for the roads department.
If officials keep getting transferred so quickly, how can any official get a grip on the subject?“ asked the STAC chairman. “In such a situation, training them is important.“
The STAC, formed in 2004, has 13 members, including road experts, civil servants and civil engineers.
Rahul Shewale, civic standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena corporator, said he has now demanded that officials undergo training. “I have spoken to senior officials in the roads department and demanded that they organise a training programme. I will ensure it happens soon.“
An official from the roads department said they were in the process of arranging for training sessions. “We are in talks with IIT-B to have a training session soon. It has been stuck because of constraints on both sides. We are expecting an answer from them soon.“