BMC8217;s quick-fix solution to bad roads

MUMBAI, SEPT 22: If you have pot-holed roads in your area, all you need to do now to ensure they are set straight is call your ward offic...

MUMBAI, SEPT 22: If you have pot-holed roads in your area, all you need to do now to ensure they are set straight is call your ward office. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has promised to redress complaints of damaged roads within 24 hours flat.

To ensure such speedy solutions, the chief engineer in-charge of roads Apte said he had put all the infrastructure in place and issued all the necessary instructions to his subordinates. The machinery is geared up to carry out repairs to bad roads within 24 hours of the registration of a complaint, he stressed.

Junior sub-engineers at all the ward offices will be attending to all the complaint calls. 8220;The contractors appointed for spot repairs in each of the wards have been asked to make themselves available to carry out immediate repairs,8221; said Apte, adding that majority of the repair work will be carried out in the night. Traffic police usually object to road repairs during the day as it creates traffic problems. That is why repairs will be carried out after 11.30 pm up to dawn, he said.

A truck with the raw materials will be stationed in each of the six zones in the city. The moment a complaint is received, the asphalt plant in the zones will be informed to make the ready-mix and the road will be repaired at night, Apte assured. 8220;This will not only ensure that spot repairs are carried out but will also prevent further damage to the roads,8221; he added.

As of now, there are no pot-holes, said Apte, claiming that all roads with pot-holes have been repaired by his department. 8220;In fact, most of the pot-holes had grown into stretches of bad roads as they were not attended to immediately. The rains were also responsible for this condition,8221; Apte admitted. He added that the department cleared at least 2,000 pot-holes in each ward during the monsoon.

Every year, the BMC carries out spot repairs in each ward by appointing special contractors for the job. This year also, contractors were appointed and the BMC spent about Rs six crore on the repairs.

Meanwhile, the administration has decided to continue with the policy to concretise roads, though there is no budget provision for this for the present year. The concretisation is likely to be taken up from January next, and it will cost the BMC Rs 60 crore to concretise 25 kms of roads. For this, the BMC may approach HUDCO or MMRDA.