After failing to use Rs 70-crore jet patcher machines for four years,the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally approached the company to modify the machine to make it more effective. Till now,the civic administration has not been able to use the jet patcher machineCrafco AT Inject Patcherswhich has been supplied by the US-based company,Crafco. We have approached Crafco,which had supplied the machine,and asked it to modify the structure or the technology of the machine so that it can be used more effectively. These machines are very expensive and we would like to use it to our maximum advantage, said S Badve,chief engineer (Road). The machines,which have been lying unused for the past four years,can only repair four-five potholes in a day. The machines can repair stretches of about 80-100 sq m in a day,but after that,it gets difficult to refill it with the repair mix and use it again the same day. Also,the machine is rendered useless if the pothole is smaller than 2x2 feet and roads are wet, said civic officials. The civic administration had admitted last year that it had been unable to use the expensive foreign technology and that the machines had been lying idle. It also admitted that the technology was purchased without consulting the Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC). Three years ago,the BMC had purchased three machines for spot repairs of potholes from Crafco at a cost of Rs 78 lakh each. The machines were supposed to repair potholes within hours,where conventional pothole repairs would take 48 hours. The BMC spent Rs 68 crore on the repair and maintenance of the machines,but despite that,engineers were unable to use them due to technical glitches? narrow roads,potholes shape,among others. A hot mix asphalt is poured into a pothole and the jet patcher machine is rolled over to flatten the surface. The pressure exerted by the machine allows the material to consolidate. Although the jet patcher machine fills potholes within hours,it can only be filled once a day to repair four-five potholes,after which it has to be taken to its car-shed to be re-filled. This process is time- consuming and less effective,officials said. Also,the large size of the machine makes it difficult to repair potholes in smaller lanes.
