Speaker calls for a meeting on Monday over concretisation of Mumbai’s roads

BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar raised the issue of incomplete and poor-quality works in concretisation of roads, pointing out that merely a fine was slapped and officials were given only a notice. Another BJP MLA Ameet Satam argued that roads less than 15 metres wide be completed with mastic asphalt.

Satam mentioned that despite spending Rs 21,000 crore on roads in Mumbai from 1997 to 2022, it has turned out to be a wasteful expenditure. “As a solution, the then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the current Chief Minister Devendra Ji Fadnavis introduced the concept of cement concrete roads, which is a welcome move. However, due to the ongoing digging of roads, many senior citizens are staying at home and unable to go for walks. The entire city has been dug up, and the work on cement concrete roads, which started in October 2023, is still going on after a year-and-a-half,” said Satam, adding that roads wider than 15 metres can be made of cement concrete, but roads smaller than 15 metres are better suited for mastic asphalt.

Speaker Rahul Narvekar too intervened adding that the tender was floated in his own constituency two years ago but the contractor did not perform the work. So, the tender was re-tendered six months ago and the work has not yet begun. Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh sought to know the names of road contractors who have been awarded works worth Rs 6,632 crore while Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray questioned whether the contractors were provided advance mobility charge.

Minister Uday Samant said that issues raised by MLAs will be probed and in the first phase, 191 roads were under construction. According to Samant, in first phase, the first contractor M/s NCC Limited (Rs 1,675 cr) is given work of 191 roads and 35 are completed. The second contractor is Megha Engineering & Infra Limited (Rs 2,232 cr) is given 188 roads and 103 completed. The third contractor is Dinesh Chandra Ramchandra Agrawal (Rs 1,567cr) is given 137 roads and 55 are completed; the fourth contractor is Eagle Infra India Pvt Limited (Rs 1,158 cr) is given 182 roads and 47 completed.

Replying to Thackeray, Samant said advance mobility charge was given in some cases. “These are works worth Rs 6,632 crore for concretisation of 698 roads. Some works are in progress. We are doing third party audit and checking the quality as well,” Samant said.

Replying to Congress MLA Amin Patel on forming a committee of MLAs, the minister said that he will consult the same with Deputy CM Ekanth Shinde.

To conclude the discussion, the Speaker ordered to hold a meeting on Monday.

“A meeting will be held with the Urban Development Minister in this regard in my office on Monday at 3 pm. An inquiry in the similar matter was conducted earlier through EOW. Considering the current serious information, should the EOW conduct another investigation? They should think about this and come to the meeting,” said Narvekar.

Earlier, Shinde’s another department, MSRDC, came under scanner over installation of a hoarding at Mulund toll plaza and demanded inquiry into the issue of tenders for the same. Samant accepted the demand for the probe as raised by BJP MLAs.