Road concretisation: Here’s why Mumbai has road rage!

Following the recent heavy showers and a weather alert issued by the India Meteorological Department IMD Mumbaikars are increasingly anxious about the state of city roads The BMC had set a deadline of May 31 to complete all work on roads already dug up for cement concreting CC across the city However a ground visit by midday to several locations revealed that work remains incomplete in many areas raising concerns among residents and commuters mdash especially with the monsoon just around the cornerAdditional Municipal CommissionerAbhijit BangarMalad West mdash Matoshree Ramabai MargConcreting on this road began in midApril One side is fully done and concrete pouring is partially complete on the other However a portion still lies dug up The BMC barricade lists May 31 as deadline The deadline to pour cement for road concreting was May 20Matoshree Ramabai Marg in Malad West one side of road is done while other remains partially dug up PicNimesh DaveldquoFirst we didnrsquot understand why a perfectly good road had to be dug up Now even after two months the work is crawling The rain has made it worse They say itrsquos for the cityrsquos betterment but nobody asked us A small patch is left but at this pace I doubt itrsquoll be done before the rainsrdquo said Ashutosh Revale 28 a residentAshutosh RevaleBorivli East mdash Shrikrishna Nagar Cross Road No 3Work on this road started in late February Of all the roads in the locality this is the only one still left with cement pouring workConcreting work continues at Shrikrishna Nagar Borivli East PicsNimesh DaveThe rest are either completed or have reached the concrete stageldquoOur colony is well connected but with two roads dug up we had to take long detours Road No 2 is now ready but Road No 3 is in such poor shape we canrsquot even walk With the rains expected to start early in June they may now work day and night but that too will disturb our sleeprdquo said resident Sunita JoshiAndheri West mdash SVP Nagar MHADA ColonyConcreting began three months ago on internal roads including Jankidevi School Road When midday visited internal road in SVP Nagar on Friday pouring of concrete at two locations had not startedConcreting delays continue in SVP Nagar PicRanjeet JadhavldquoThe contractor is working at a snailrsquos pace One patch is complete but not cleaned causing dust pollution At another location the road is incomplete making entryexit toughrdquo said Ratnakar SawantAnother resident alleged nighttime work beyond 10 pm and claimed the contractor showed no concern for public inconvenienceAndheri East mdash Off Military Road Prime Academy Bharat NagarThe Prime Academy road has been dug up for over two months Only half is concreted creating a 3inch height difference Several people including hotel guests have reportedly fallen and injured themselvesPrime Academy road in Marol Andheri remains only partially concreted after two months Locals report several injuries poor signage and fear worsening conditions once rains begin PicAshish RajeldquoThere have been around a dozen injuries With monsoon approaching wersquore worried about accidents and debris flowrdquo said a hotel employeeThe road was originally dug up for electricity water and sewage work and is still in the condition with work continuing at a slow pace ldquoThe barricades indicating work are also on only one side of the road Which has caused minor accidents as people enter the streetrdquo said another residentSantacruz West mdash Road No 5 TPS ColonyOnly part of the road from Road No 3 to Lane 2 has been concreted The remaining stretch to PV Avasare Marg remains dug upNo concreting work in progress at Road No 5 TPS Colony Santacruz West Only a part has been dug for utilities so far PicAshish RajeldquoThey started this work 3ndash6 months ago Even after an accident happened here over a month ago therersquos been no urgency to complete itrdquo said vegetable vendor Amit Kumar GondMahim mdash Kapad Bazar Post Office RoadOngoing roadwork at Kapad Bazar Mahim West A 100metre stretch is still awaiting concrete pouring while another 200 metres remains under curing PicAshish RajeAround 200 metres of the road are still under curing and another 100metre patch is pending concrete laying Residents say work has been delayed since the beginning and are uncertain whether it will be finished by the Mayend deadlineBandra West mdash St John Baptist RoadThough the majority of concreting of the John Baptist Road in Bandra West has been completed the residents still face trouble every day Similar to the St Roques Road the work on this road started on the October 24Icelina DrsquoLima a resident said ldquoThe road right outside my house is still not fixed adding to that the footpath is very difficult to walk It becomes impossible for my husband to get outrdquoAdding to her concerns she says ldquoWe have talked to the BMC about this and now are scared that since there is no time left before the monsoon starts they will do a shoddy job to get the work donerdquoBandra West mdash St Roques RoadWork began in October 2024 but progress has stalled due to blocked sewers and water line leaksConcrete work underway at St John Baptist Road Mount Mary Bandra West PicAshish RajeldquoConstruction debris has blocked our sewers Water backs up into our toilets With only a week to go for the monsoon the BMC might rush and do shoddy workrdquo said resident A FernandesHe added ldquoJio WiFi cables are lying on the road instead of being placed in ducts After monsoon theyrsquoll probably dig again for thatrdquoMay 31Deadline to complete concrete road workBMC responseAs per last weekrsquos civic data BMC has completed 11125 km of the targeted 13015 km of concreting work Another 51 km is expected to be brought to a ldquosaferdquo stage by May 31 Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said ldquoOnce concrete work is done the remaining patches are being finished with mastic asphalt Engineers must monitor sites If a contractor delays work an alternate contractor will be assigned and the defaulting contractor will be penalisedrdquo Bangar added that even the delayed Ramnath Goenka Road in Nariman Point is being rushed with earlystrength concrete and mastic asphalt to meet the May 31 deadlineatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params