BMC plans to use Japanese technology for road building

Impressed by roads in Yokohoma in Japan, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor and the commissioner are now assessing the possibility of building a stretch of road in Mumbai on a pilot basis with the help of road construction firms from the Japanese city.

Mayor Shraddha Jadhav and municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya visited Yokohoma last week to attend a function there.

"We would request the local body of Yokohoma to allow their road building firms to take up a pilot project in the city," Jadhav said.

The local civic body of Yokohoma made a presentation on how the roads are built and maintained there.

"Our asphalt roads are built with poor quality material and do not last long. While asphalt roads there remain intact despite heavy rains, for almost 25 years," she said.

When asked whether the technology and material used by them would be more expensive, Jadhav said, "Despite spending so much money on constructing cement concrete and asphalt roads, we need to repair them regularly. Instead we should spend on good quality so that roads will last for years."

The BMC had made a budgetary allocation of Rs900 crore for roads department for the year 2010-11. Besides, the civic body had sanctioned additional Rs500 crore for the concretisation and asphalting of roads.