BMC on potholes: Give us all rights regarding roads in Mumbai, guarantee that we will make Mumbai pothole free in the next three years Mumbai Municipality (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal (Iqbal Singh Chahal) gave in the High Court on Friday. of Mumbai potholes on roads (Pits in Mumbai) That everyone breaks stones in the name of Municipal Corporation of Mumbai. But they should also understand the facts, we are happy to take full responsibility, said Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal.
Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Chahal said in the High Court that we should be given full rights regarding the roads in Mumbai. We had sent such a letter to the Chief Secretary on February 2, 2021. But it hasn’t been decided yet. If this happens, it will see good results in the next 20-30 years, Chahal told the high court.
Taking cognizance of this while issuing the order, the High Court has indicated that we will instruct the Urban Development Department to consider your letter positively.
A petition has been filed in the High Court regarding the problem of potholes on the roads in Mumbai. For this hearing, the Municipal Commissioner and the Secretary of the Public Works Department appeared in the court. In the hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Makrand Karnik, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal informed the High Court through a presentation. Stating that the MSRDC was responsible for the road accident in Borivali, it was pointed out that the municipal administration alone is not responsible for potholes. Responding positively to this entire presentation, the High Court has directed to submit a report on the subject every two months.
What did Chahal say in the presentation?
The municipality does not have complete control over the work and maintenance of all existing roads in Mumbai. The High Court said that apart from BMC, many roads in Mumbai come under the jurisdiction of various authorities like MMRDA, MSRDC, MMRC, PWD, MBPT, AAI, BARC etc.
Highways in Mumbai mainly come under the jurisdiction of the state government. Whereas the entire part of Metro is under MMRCL. He told the court that Chembur to Sion Panvel road, owned by MMRDA, has potholes for many years. Apart from this, he informed the High Court that the area of Dahisar check naka, Mulund check naka is also under the jurisdiction of MMRDA.
Why are there potholes on the roads of Mumbai?
Mumbai Municipal Commissioner told the High Court why there are potholes on the roads in Mumbai. Mumbai has received a lot of rain this year as compared to 2018. Due to various development works, the traffic of heavy vehicles has increased comparatively. The number of other vehicles is also increasing day by day. He said that there is a lot of pressure on the roads. Apart from this, the network of wires of many companies is spread under the roads, it is necessary to excavate continuously for their maintenance. In addition, the drainage lines also have to be maintained frequently. Municipal commissioner Chahal said that when pavilions are built on the roads during various festivals, there is a lot of damage to the roads.
Measures taken by the municipality regarding potholes
Chahal also informed about the measures taken by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation regarding potholes. He said that the problem of potholes is huge in the western suburbs of Mumbai mainly during monsoon. As an immediate solution, ‘Paver Block’ and ‘Cold Mix’ are being used. Also, if the rain takes a break of at least 8 hours, then RHC (Rapid Hardening Cocurrent) is used. He said that ‘mustique’ is also a modern method. He told that there are 2050 km of roads in Mumbai, out of which 990 km of roads have been paved. Apart from this, the work of 265 km of road co-currentization is going on and the work of 397 km will be completed by October. He also said that the rest of the roads will also be made completely paved next year.
What is a petition?
On April 12, 2018, the Bombay High Court had ordered that citizens can lodge complaints about bad roads and potholes in the state. Senior advocate Janak advocate Ruju Thakkar submitted that the state government, municipality and local self-governing body did not fulfill any of the directions, including setting up of independent grievance redressal mechanism regarding stones, fencing of manholes with safety nets, etc. If the road repair work is going on, the contempt petition has been filed through Dwarkadas to the notice boards regarding the period of completion of the work.
