Three months to monsoon, BMC sets up 50% completion deadline for road concretisation

Meanwhile, in an affidavit submitted to Bombay HC in February 2024, the BMC had said that they intend to complete 20% of the overall concretisation works by March-end.

“The overall completion rate of the road concretisation works is around 20% so far and we intend to complete at least 50% of the roads by May 31, since during monsoon we cannot carry out these works for three months in a row,” said a senior official.

The process of road concretising involves digging the existing surface of roads and filling them with precast concrete layers. The civic officials said that no new roads will be dug post April 30 since the process of laying the concrete layers and curing it takes a minimum of 45 days.

“At present we are carrying out the digging works extensively to ensure the process of concreting layers are laid. Once the monsoon arrives further digging won’t be possible and filling the excavated portions of the roads will also become difficult. Therefore to ensure that the roads of the city stay in a good condition and all excavated parts are filled, we won’t allow any digging works beyond April 30,” said the official.

After coming to power in 2022, Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde had promised that all the roads in Mumbai will be concretised so that the city’s annual menace of potholes would come to an end. Mumbai has a road network of 2,000 KMs and currently around 950 KMs is concretised while the rest of the roads are made of bitumen and asphalt.