The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ambitious road concreting project was planned to eliminate potholes and prevent trenching on roads. However, it has now created a new challenge for the stormwater drainage system. Bora Bazar Street in Fort witnessed waterlogging for the first time during recent pre-monsoon showers, just a month after the road was concreted. To address this, the BMC has dug a trench to create a chamber and drain to discharge rainwater. Activists have termed this a major blunder in civic planning.

Sanjay Gurav, a Fort resident, said, “The road was concreted just a month ago. But after the first rain, it got waterlogged. This road never saw waterlogging even during heavy showers. Now the BMC has dug a trench to build a chamber and lay an underground drainage line.” He added, “How can the BMC not anticipate the need for proper drainage? How can they build a road that causes waterlogging? The BMC headquarters is just minutes away, yet this blunder happened right under their nose.”