Mumbai Road Concretisation: MLAs Demand Govt Inquiry Into Poor Quality Work

Members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, from both the ruling BJP and the opposition, sharply criticised the BMC on Friday for the subpar quality of ongoing road concretisation work in the city. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar has called for a meeting next week in his chamber to address the issue.

The criticism was raised during Question Hour by BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar, who highlighted that despite the cement concretisation initiative launched during the previous Mahayuti government by then-chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, the implementation has been poorly managed by the civic authorities. He emphasised that the goal of creating pothole-free roads has not been realised due to the inefficiency of BMC’s machinery.

Narwekar echoed these concerns, stating that the government must consider whether an inquiry, similar to those conducted for previous road scams in Mumbai, should be initiated. He pointed out that a concretisation contract for his own constituency of Colaba was awarded two years ago, but no work has commenced despite a fresh tender being issued six months ago. Narwekar added, “The concretisation project was meant to ease the lives of Mumbaikars, but complaints about the quality of work and delays persist.”

Congress MLA Amin Patel also voiced concerns, suggesting the formation of a committee of legislators from Mumbai to further examine the ongoing road issues. In response, Industries Minister Uday Samant assured that he would convey the concerns to Deputy Chief Minister Shinde, who oversees the Urban Development Department.

Narwekar proposed a meeting on Monday with Shinde to delve into the issue and explore whether an inquiry by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is necessary.

Patel additionally called for a report from the Vigilance Department on the concretisation project, urging them to complete the inquiry within a month. Samant confirmed that 91 engineers from the BMC had been issued show-cause notices due to the poor quality of road works.

The Rs6,632 crore road concretisation project is being executed by four contractors, according to the minister. BJP MLA Ameet Satam, representing a local constituency, questioned why despite spending Rs21,000 crore annually on road maintenance since 1997, potholes continue to plague Mumbai’s streets. The concretisation project, which began in October 2023, remains ongoing.

Yogesh Sagar, another BJP MLA, criticised the BMC’s lack of accountability, alleging that contractors’ relatives are involved in drafting tenders, leading to unchecked malpractices within the civic body. The ongoing issues with the concretisation project have sparked a call for immediate attention and action from the government to ensure accountability and quality in road infrastructure.