Monsoon: Pothole complaints flood BMC

Seven firms have been appointed pothole-repair contracts at the cost of Rs 4 crore per administrative zone in Mumbai.

Source: Express archives

Barely a week into the monsoon season, the city has already reported close to 300 potholes, of which only about 80 have been repaired.
According to the BMC’s pothole-tracking website http://www.voiceofcitizen.com, which has received over 3,200 hits so far, 164 of 285 reported potholes have been attended to, of which repairs on 82 have been completed.

As per the civic body’s standard operating procedure for repairing potholes, appointed contractors and road sub-engineers are given 48 hours to ensure a pothole complaint is addressed and repaired.

Seven firms have been appointed pothole-repair contracts at the cost of Rs 4 crore per administrative zone in Mumbai.

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R A Pawar, chief engineer of the BMC’s roads department, claimed the civic body had averted delays in addressing the complaints by issuing a letter of acceptance to the chosen contractors.

“The potholes tender received approval from the standing committee on June 11, but it is taking some time to issue the formal work order. In the meantime, we have issued a letter of acceptance to the appointed contractors so that they can start work immediately. They have accordingly begun the work of fixing the potholes. However, it takes some time for the filling material to set, which is why the repair-rate in comparison to reporting-rate is slower,” Pawar said.

At the ward-level, R-Central ward, which includes Borivali and Poisar, has reported the maximum number of pothole complaints (45), of which 13 have been closed. This is followed by the N ward which includes Ghatkopar and Vikhroli, where 11 of 27 potholes have been closed so far.

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