Rs 26 crore down the drain in Mumbai
The potholes have returned with the rains. While the BMC claims that only 231 of the city's 2,436 pothole patches remain untended, the Ganesh mandals in the city beg to differ, claiming that the city roads are riddled with 1,170 potholes. This means that the BMC's expenditure of a whopping Rs 26 crore for pre-monsoon pothole repair, have all but gone down the drain.
-
Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti said, "We are keeping tabs on BMC's work. The potholes that they repaired recently at Worli have all reappeared after the rains. We have been sending reminders to the authorities."
Photo courtesy: Mid-Day.com -
Nikita, a resident of Chembur said, "There are so many potholes in our locality. Is the BMC blind?" N V Merani, chairman of the Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), said, "The BMC never follows the recommendations of the STAC."
Photo courtesy: Mid-Day.com -
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Nandkumar Chougle said, "Potholed roads are a major concern for us. In a damaged stretch, vehicles cannot move beyond a speed of 10-20 kmph, instead of the usual 30-40 kmph. We have deployed 1,200 policemen only to maintain traffic at the bad roads."
"The situation in places like Chembur, Sion, Bandra, Ghatkopar, where the roads are made of paver blocks, is the worst, as the blocks get dislodged, creating craters. We are in dialogue with the BMC road officials, but the situation is becoming unmanageable. Even flyovers have craters."
Photo courtesy: Mid-Day.com
