Not only is the civic body skirting blame by laying it at the door of contractors, it also cannot be held accountable for the injuries people suffer while navigating pockmarked stretches.
A double whammy lies in store for Mumbaikars bearing the brunt of pothole-laden roads. Not only is the civic body skirting blame by laying it at the door of contractors, it also cannot be held accountable for the injuries people suffer while navigating pockmarked stretches.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has no provision to compensate victims who have been affected by bad roads. It is also not liable to pay restitution to the kin of those who have died while avoiding potholes. Two such deaths have been reported within a week and innumerable people are suffering ailments like backache, and in some cases, loss of pregnancies.
But none of them can claim losses since BMC laws bear no mention of any compensation for damage caused by potholes. “The civic laws have no provision wherein people suffering due to bad roads can approach the administration,” said Ravishankar Malandar, joint law officer of BMC.
Law committee chairman Rajiv Chaugule said: “Though there is no provision for providing compensation, the civic administration ought to enact such a law which provides some relief to people affected by potholes.”
On Friday, Shraddha Pawar, 38, died after she fell from a motorbike when it hit an uneven paver block, while on Monday, Siddesh Doke, 19, died after he tried to avoid a pothole and was mowed down by a speeding car.
Municipal councils in Britain compensate motorists suffering damage due to bad roads. In fact, authorities in Britain shell out more than £50 million in compensation claims due to poor roads every year.
Back home, the civic administration has refused to take accountability of the two incidents. “It is unfortunate that the two individuals lost their lives due to the bad condition of roads. But there is hardly anything that can be done by the civic body in terms of compensation,” said Satish Badve, chief engineer (roads and traffic).
Data from the traffic department reveals that the city has 2,066 craters, even though the BMC claims there are just 495 pothole stretches in the city.
“We are witnessing a lengthy dry spell. All our efforts are being channelised to repair roads,” said Aseem Gupta, additional municipal commissioner.
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