It’s been just two months since Aseem Gupta took charge as additional municipal commissioner (eastern suburbs). But, the newly-appointed officer is already geared up with several innovative proposals to add new meaning to the city’s infrastructure. An alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur & New Delhi, Gupta speaks to DNA about the various bottlenecks and their solutions.
Potholes have taken the sheen off our roads, while the monsoon is exposing potholes by the day. What steps will the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation adopt to prevent bumpy rides?
Unlike last year, contractors have been appointed ward wise for maintenance of roads. But, water is the enemy of roads. The only way to curb potholes is to have an effective drainage system, which stops water logging. Also, the chamber of roads has to be such that water does not get accumulated. Concretisation of roads can be an effective solution.
At the same time, due importance has to be given to ground water levels, which concretisation prevents. The safest bet is to have concrete at the centre of the roads with paver blocks at the shoulder belt, which can monitor underground water levels and minimise potholes.
So far, 75% of the roads have been concretised; the remaining work can be completed after the rains.
Beside potholes, trenches continue to be a hanging albatross over the civic body…
Trenches are dug by utilities companies and are a major cause of concern. However, we will soon propose a duct policy where the companies will be asked to lay extra ducts, preferably eight ducts, under the road so that repeated digging and restoring can be avoided. Besides, all upcoming roads in the city would witness an organised duct system. The civic body is also contemplating a cost-effective plan, under which there will be specialised ducts underneath roads. One will exclusively cater to storm water drains, while other ducts will have electricity wires, gas pipelines and other required connections.
What about the funds at hand? Rs40 crore was allotted solely for road repairing…
Funds aren’t an issue. Only 40% of funds have been utilised so far. Over Rs17 crore has been used till now. The civic body has sufficient funds to complete unfinished tasks.
Is the BMC equipped to avert future road cave-ins?
The road caved in at Narayan Hardikar Marg junction road because of the collapse of the arch drain built a century ago. Arch drains are an underlying threat to roads. We are, therefore, formulating a proposal to rehabilitate a majority of arch drains in the city. The arch drains will be changed into box cement drains. A huge expense will be incurred in the process, but this will strengthen our roads against future cave-ins. The work will take roughly two-tree years.
What’s the reason behind the delay in completion of phase I and phase II of the Brimstowad project?
Eleven of the 58 projects under phase I are fully functional. The remaining 47 projects are in an advanced stage.
But we give the final nod only after the project is financially and physically operational. These will be functional in the next few months. The phase-II completion is awaited. While work on the pumping stations at Britannia and Gazdar bund is held up due to the land acquisition process.
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