Mumbai: In a bid to tackle the perennial issue of potholes during the monsoon season, the BMC has earmarked Rs 79 crore for essential repair and maintenance work across Mumbai.
The civic body on Wednesday floated separate tenders for seven civic zones to carry out the works that include repairing bad patches, filling potholes, and carrying out patchwork on the damaged portions of roads, by using asphalt and mastic.
The BMC has already concretised 1,333 km of roads across the city, with an additional 700 km set for concretisation in two phases under a Rs 17,000-crore mega project. With the monsoon approaching, the BMC plans to complete another 400 km by May 31.
Phase 1 covers 700 roads, while Phase 2 includes 1,421 roads. For roads scheduled for concretisation after the monsoon, temporary fixes will be implemented to keep them pothole-free. A tender has been floated to appoint agencies responsible for maintaining roads during the monsoon to ensure smooth traffic flow.
The BMC is set to undertake road maintenance works across stretches measuring both less than and greater than nine meters in width, with an allocated budget of Rs 79 crores. In addition, tenders will soon be invited for pothole repairs on key arterial routes, including the Western Express Highway, Eastern Expressway, and the Freeway, at an estimated cost of Rs 24 crores.
A senior civic official stated, "To ensure smooth traffic flow during the monsoon season, we will deploy a dedicated agency tasked with regular maintenance and prompt repairs throughout the period since most of these roads are aging and no longer fall under the defect-liability period."
Meanwhile, officials have claimed that the number of potholes is expected to significantly reduce this year, owing to the ongoing concretisation of roads. Currently, approximately 400 kilometers of roads across Mumbai are being excavated for these works.
The BMC has set a deadline of May 31 to complete the ongoing concretisation. Last year, the civic body spent around Rs 220 crores on pothole repairs. This year, the expenditure has dropped by nearly 60%, reflecting the positive impact of the concretisation initiative, according to officials
