Mumbai: Lord Ganesha to have a bumpy welcome

Devotees are gearing up for the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities beginning next week, but the pothole-ridden roads in the Mira-Bhayandar region may not provide a smooth ride for the elephant-headed God.

The public works department (PWD) of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) claims to have started pothole fixing work on a war footing. Meanwhile, MBMC Commissioner Dilip Dhole has asked the private Metro-rail contractors deployed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to ensure all potholes are fixed in the next two days.

An extension of Metro-7 (Andheri east to Dahisar east), the Metro-9 is a 13.581-km-long route including a 1 1.389-km-long elevated corridor. The ongoing work has gathered momentum but has also led to a large number of potholes on the main road between Dahisar Check Naka and Subash Chandra Bose municipal ground in Bhayandar (west).

“As contractors appointed for the Metro-rail work are filling potholes at a snail’s pace, I have given a two-day deadline to fix all potholes on roads which are supposed to be maintained by them. On the other hand, we have already embarked on a mission to try and get rid of potholes before Ganeshutsav,” said Dhole.

The worst affected stretches of roads which are riddled with multi-sized potholes include Maxus Mall, Golden Nest Circle, Shivar Garden and the Kashimira junction. Motorists travelling between Dahisar Check Naka and Bhayandar have been facing a nightmare, due to the condition of the roads that have been battered due to cranes and other heavy equipment being used by contractors for the ongoing Metro-rail works.