BMC promises to repair 164 pothole locations in next 4 days

Having failed to provide a smooth incoming ride to the elephant-headed god at the beginning of Ganesh festival, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now promised to repair 164 pock-marked locations in the next four days.

Earlier, the civic body had said it would fill up all the potholes on Mumbai roads before September 1, but that was not to be.

"Currently, there are 164 pothole locations....We are trying to fix them up in three-four days," said Chief Engineer (Roads), Satish Badve.

Fifty-three of these patches are in the island city, 85 in the western suburbs and 26 in the eastern suburbs.

"Earlier the number was 308. We brought it down to 164 in two-three days," Badve said.

Since the onset of the monsoon, the civic administration has been facing flak over pathetic condition of roads.

"We are working round-the-clock. We are fixing potholes with cold mix instead of the conventional hot mix that wears off during the monsoon. Cold mix lasts through the rain," Badve said.

BMC earmarks Rs40 crore for the road maintenance during the monsoon, but the criticism has prompted it to increase it to Rs60 crore.