Mumbai News: BMC Bears Maintenance Costs of Highways as MMRDA Delays Transfer of Rights; Repair Work Underway

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not received the advertising and mobile tower rights for the Western Express Highway (WEH) and Eastern Express Highway (EEH) from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). As a result, the BMC is required to cover the maintenance costs of both highways.

In the current monsoon season, BMC has already spent Rs 276 crore for maintaining these two highways.

Rights transfer delay and rising cost of maintenance

Year after year, BMC faces criticism for the issue of pothole-riddled roads. BMC contends that roads managed by MMRDA, Port Trust, and other authorities often go unrepaired, leading to public dissatisfaction that is directed at BMC. In response to this, the Shinde-Fadnavis government directed MMRDA last year to transfer ownership of both highways and flyovers to BMC. While BMC has assumed responsibility for the highways and bridges, the rights to advertisements and mobile towers, which BMC requested, have yet to be granted.

An official from BMC stated, "The Roads department hastily took possession from MMRDA, which should not have been the case. Now, the maintenance costs for these highways are high, and despite our correspondence, the rights for advertisements and mobile towers have not been transferred."

This year, BMC has initiated repair work on both highways. The expenditure is estimated at Rs 143 crore for the Western Express Highway and Rs 92 crore for the Eastern Express Highway, making the total maintenance cost around Rs 236 crore. The repair work involves the use of asphalt and concrete to mend the road patches.

The Western Express Highway spans from Bandra to Dahisar Check Naka, while the Eastern Express Highway stretches from Mulund to Sion. The combined length of these two highways is approximately 90 km.