Hounded & heckled, road contractors ditch jobs

Fed up with mounting criticism over pothole-ridden roads by the media, politicians and civic officials, road contractors are shutting shop to start new businesses.

“We do attend the potholes immediately. But there has been no long dry spell to fill them properly. The city roads bear the load of heavy vehicles, which severely damages the upper layer. The civic body should not allow heavy vehicles into the city, and after repairing potholes, no traffic should be allowed on the road for at least two days,” said road contractor Bharat Shah.

He said that people want immediate remedies, which is not feasible.

“It is not possible in a city like Mumbai, where all renowned technologies have failed completely. I have decided to quit the road contractor’s job and enter into the construction line. People think we have committed a heinous crime which cannot be pardoned. Our family members are worried by the incidents of contractors being beaten up,” he said.

Nitin Shah from RPS Ltd said the authority cannot put a gun to their heads and ask them do the job immediately. “If things do not improve, we may have to think of starting a new business,” he said.