After extending its original deadline for road repair to June 5, the BMC has failed to complete work yet again, promptly rescheduling it a second time to June 11
After extending its original deadline for road repair to June 5, the BMC has failed to complete work yet again, promptly rescheduling it a second time to June 11
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The monsoons are here in full swing, with downpours inundating the city streets almost every day. Along with the downpours, Mumbaikars are experiencing the same old 'sinking' feeling that is caused by waterlogging every year.
u00a0A pothole-ridden road at Suman Nagar junction
This can only mean one thing: the municipal commissioner has failed to live up to the ambitious promise he had made of completing pothole repair work in the city before the onset of the monsoons.
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It is a case of 'so near, yet so far' with the civic body, as nearly 83 per cent of the work has been completed. Not one to mull on its numerous failures, the civic body's road department has promptly and conveniently set itself a new deadline of June 11.
The BMC began its laborious project on April 22, setting itself an ambitious deadline of May 31.This was the first of many as the days progressed, so did the flexible deadlines first to June 5, and thereafter to what is hopefully a final deadline for June 11.
At the last count, about 2,582 of the city's 3,093 potholes have been tended to. 1,486 out of 1,823 potholes have been filled up in the western suburbs, 407 of 552 in the eastern suburbs, and 689 of 718 in the city precincts.
In the survey work conducted before the project was begun, the road department identified 1,132 pothole-ridden roads, out of which a maximum of 563 were located in the western suburbs, 324 in the eastern, and 245 in the city area.
Speaking to MiD DAY, Satish Badve, chief engineer (roads), admitted that the repair work had been hampered due to the heavy showers, and was likely to be completed on Saturday, June 11. "The regular pre-monsoon work is on in full swing, but the rains are hampering our progress."
He further added that the department would be trying out some experimental technologies this monsoon, after which the durability of the repair work would be observed all through the season, and till the next monsoon.
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"If the work endures till the rains next year, we will continue with the new technologies that being tried out this year," he said.
Badve further attributed the intense water logging to the loosening of soil under paver blocks, causing them to cave in. "Owing to shoddy work done on the trenches earlier, the surface is not level. This will be worked on," he promised.
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