Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): As the rainy season has arrived, Bhopal’s roads have developed potholes turning daily commute into a nightmare. About 600 kilometres of major roads, all under Public Works Department (PWD), have deteriorated significantly. And nearly 2,500 kilometres of colony roads maintained by Bhopal Municipal Corporation are in a poor state with giant potholes forming across the city.
The total road network of BMC is approximately 3,874 kilometres and most of it has not seen any maintenance in the past year. A significant portion of these roads, especially those built or were resurfaced for Global Investor Summit (GIS) 2025 in January, are crumbling.
Despite claims of ongoing maintenance, roads in areas like Link Road No. 1, VIP Road, Airport Road, Char Imli, Saket Nagar, AIIMS, Katara Hills and Bagh Sewaniya are in a poor condition. The situation is worse in areas where Metro rail construction is underway. No restoration was done before the rains.

Jurisdiction confusion adds to residents' woes
The worst-hit roads fall under Narela Assembly constituency where road conditions have remained poor for eight months. However, BMC has refused to take responsibility, stating that most roads in this region were constructed by PWD. “These are not our roads,” said Subodh Jain, BMC superintendent engineer, mechanical department.
The PWD officials argue that during the Assembly elections, tenders were issued for main roads and connecting roads without official handover to the Corporation. This bureaucratic tussle has left several roads in limbo, with no agency ready to take up repairs.
BMC’s maintenance claims
Bhopal Municipal Corporation maintains that it is actively repairing its roads. “Where the guarantee period is valid, the contractors are fixing the damage,” Jain said. “For the rest, maintenance is being carried out at the zone level. Our teams fill potholes when there is no rain.”
Roads built during GIS-2025 still holding
According to PWD chief engineer Sanjay Maske, 31 roads were upgraded for the GIS-2025 event, 22 by PWD and 9 by the BMC. These roads are in better condition compared to others.
Ground reality:
Several roads in the city, such as Ashoka Garden to Semra route, have potholes up to 5 feet wide. Other affected areas include Mayur Vihar, Chandbarh, Karond, Bhanpur, AIIMS Road, BHEL (Govindpura), Bharat Talkies to Jumerati, Peergate, Imam Bada and Tila Jamalpura. “It is difficult towalk,” residents in these localities say. With no clear ownership and delayed maintenance, residents continue to struggle as Bhopal’s roads fall apart in rains.