Standing committee chairman Rahul Shevale inspected the asphalt plant in Worli where the hot mix used to fill potholes is prepared. He found that standard norms are not followed in the preparation of the mix.
Contractors have not been following the standard practice for filling up potholes, causing the city’s roads to remain in a perennially bad condition despite an expenditure of crores of rupees.
On Friday, standing committee chairman Rahul Shevale inspected the asphalt plant in Worli where the hot mix used to fill potholes is prepared. He found that standard norms are not followed in the preparation of the mix. After its delivery, too, contractors do not use it when it is hot, rendering it ineffective.
“The hot mix remains at ward offices after its delivery. It should be used immediately after its preparation. Contractors do not follow this practice,” Shevale said. “The material gets washed away easily after it is poured into potholes, as contractors do not maintain any quality.”
Shevale has also requested the municipal commissioner to take action against the errant contractors.
At the start of the monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had identified 9,630 potholes in the city. Of these, 9,037 have been attended to, while 593 are yet to be repaired. The city has a road network of 1,941km, of which a network of 525km has a cement-concrete surface.
“The roads are bound to develop bad patches due to digging activities. This year, 23 private contractors have been appointed to attend to potholes and bad patches in the city,” said a senior official from the road department.
“Every year, the BMC spends crores of rupees on potholes. The budget for filling up potholes increases every year. But roads continue to develop potholes,” said Sameer Desai, a Congress corporator.
Corporator Dharmesh Vyas alleged that ward offices are never enthusiastic about complaints related to potholes and hardly ever respond. “When we approach ward offices with complaints, we are told that there is not enough funding for roads. Despite keeping aside a huge amount for filling potholes, why is there no difference on the ground?” he asked.
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