11 May,2014 07:00 AM IST | | Dimple Bhavsar and Chetna Sadadekar
BMC has completed work on just 132 out of 967 roads, despite having a whopping Rs 3,000 cr budget. Mayor Sunil Prabhu inspects sites in question, warns contractors of dire consequences
Taking cognizance of the article published in mid-day on May 10 (Concrete roads, but no concrete deadlines), which highlighted the plight of Mumbaikars thanks to pothole-ridden and dug-up roads across the city, on Friday night, Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu visited various sites and instructed contractors to finish the work before May 31. However, whether the repair work will be completed before the deadline or not remains to be seen.
Also read: Mumbai's eastern suburbs face a rough ride this monsoon
Mayor Sunil Prabhu checks bad roads at Bhulabhai Desai Road. Pic/Bipin Kokate
Prabhu started his inspection at 9.30 pm on Friday from Nariman Point and visited roads in Southern, Eastern and Western suburbs till 1.30 am. Senior civic officials including the administration team, the Standing Committee and Chief Executive Engineers, also accompanied him.
Location 1: South Mumbai
Name of the road: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road
Landmark: Opposite Trident Hotel
Time: 9.30 pm
Contractor's comment: "The 180-metre stretch from Nariman Point is being concretised. It will be completed by May 25."
Mayor speak: "In case the contractor fails to construct the stretch before the given deadline then he will have to pay the penalty."
Also read: Repair of Mumbai's roads and potholes will be done by May 20, BMC tells HC
Location 2: South Mumbai
Name of the road: Bhulabhai Desai Road
Landmark: Near Breach Candy Hospital
Time: 10 pm
Contractor's comment: "The three km-long road is being concretised. Work on half of the stretch is expected to finish by May 25. The remaining work will be finished after monsoon."
When asked about the delay in the process, the BMC's chief executive engineer said, "The contractor was running two months behind schedule as he couldn't seek permission for the concretisation. Seventy per cent of the work will be completed before monsoon, if not then the contractor will have to face a heavy penalty of Rs 8 lakh."
Also read: Stuck in a hole - The sorry state of Mumbai's roads
Location 3: Eastern suburbs
Name of the road: VN Purav Marg, Chembur
Time: 10.50 pm
Contractor's comment: "The 1.5 km-long road's concretisation started in March. Seven hundred metres will be completed by May 25 and the remaining 800 metres will be completed after monsoon."
Mayor speak: "Before the monsoons, we will ensure that traffic flows smoothly on roads. In case people report potholes, the contractors will have to pay a penalty."
Also read: BMC sets aside Rs 7,774 crore for better roads in Mumbai
Location 4: Eastern suburbs
Name of the road: Kanjurmarg, Vikhroli
Time: 11.30 pm
Official speak: Executive Engineer Vijay Nighot said, "The road is expected to be completed by May 31."
Location 5: Western suburbs
Name of the road: Hindu Friends Society
Landmark: Near Jogeshwari Railway station
Timing: 12 pm
Contractor's comment: "Out of the 1,040 metre-long road, which is being concretised, 650 metres is expected to be completed before the monsoon."
Chief Engineer, Ashok Pawar said, "We will try and complete the construction of all the projects taken in hand before the monsoon. In case there are any pothole-related problems, the contractor will deal with them."
