To end long-pending problem of potholes: BMC to take over 41 structures including 27 flyovers from MSRDC for maintenance
BMC will assume control of 41 MSRDC-built flyovers and underpasses in Mumbai to improve road maintenance and reduce accountability confusion during monsoon.
This led to a public outrage, following which BMC stepped in to repair the flyover. (File Photo) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to take over 41 structures including 27 flyovers, four foot over bridges, four pedestrian underpasses, four traffic junctions, one railway over bridge and one vehicular underpass from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which originally built these structures and have been maintaining them for decades now.
The reason behind the BMC taking them over is to end the long running problem of fragmented accountability of Mumbai’s roads and flyovers especially during the monsoon.
Last year, there was massive public outrage after potholes emerged on the Vakola flyover in Mumbai’s Santacruz, leading to disruption in traffic. The BMC passed the buck on MSRDC stating that the flyover was originally built and maintained by them and the civic body doesn’t have any accountability on it.
This led to a public outrage, following which BMC stepped in to repair the flyover.
Meanwhile, in a meeting held between civic officials and senior officials of MSRDC it was decided that as many as 41 structures including flyovers, underpasses and traffic junctions will be handed over to the BMC. Some of the key structures include, the Jogeshwari Vikhroli flyover, the JJ flyover, Film City flyover (Goregaon), and Sion flyover.
The minutes of the meeting that was carried out last month between the two agencies state that almost all the structures are in a precarious state with their roads needing immediate repair works.
At present, the contract for maintenance of these flyovers have been issued to a private agency who is under contract till 2029. The BMC officials, however, stated that since an agency is already appointed, the cost of maintenance for these roads will be borne by the MSRDC til 2029.
“MSRDC should work out on the maintenance cost incurred by them in the last three years and accordingly extrapolate that amount for the periods between 2026 and 2029 – the remaining period of the contract. Following this, the amount should be transferred to the BMC by the agency,” Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide stated in the meeting.
The documents also show that at present the advertisement rights of these flyovers lie with the MSRDC.
The advertisement right is a key source of revenue through which the government agencies earn profits by leasing out space in flyovers, bridges to private entities for erecting billboards and hoardings.
The current contract for advertisement rights stands with MSRDC till 2029 and Bhide stated that after 2029, these rights will be automatically transferred to BMC.
The BMC started taking over flyovers and bridges constructed by different agencies under its belt for maintenance starting 2022.
In November that year, the BMC took over the Western Express Highway (WEH) and Eastern Express Highway (EEH) which was earlier owned and maintained by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), for its maintenance and upkeep.
However, several flyovers on the WEH and EEH corridors remained under MSRDC. This created confusion because commuters assumed BMC was responsible for all road surfaces. During the Vakola bridge outrage last year BMC had also installed a signboard clarifying that it was MSRDC and not BMC that maintained those bridges.
Share
