Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A dispute has arisen between the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Public Works Department (PWD) over the ownership of four major roads in the city, despite official documents showing they were handed over to the PWD in January this year.
According to records produced by the BMC, the four roads were transferred to PWD on January 15, 2025, under the signature of then Municipal Commissioner Harendra Narayan. The documents clearly state that PWD is now responsible for their upkeep and maintenance.
However, the PWD has recently refused to acknowledge responsibility for these roads, claiming that it has not received official handover papers. Ironically, the department had already carried out patchwork repairs on the same stretches earlier this year. Officials warned that this ongoing confusion could create serious hurdles in future repair or warranty work.
The matter came to light during a recent city inspection by Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey of Urban Administration Department, who reviewed the condition of roads damaged during the monsoon. Bhopal currently has around 600 km of roads under PWD and about 2,200 km under BMC, with main roads generally managed by the PWD and the inner roads by the corporation.
Heavy rainfall this year has left both major and internal roads in poor condition. Although the BMC s Mechanical Department had earlier announced patchwork repairs by October 15, the corporation has now floated tenders worth over Rs 9 crore for the same. These tenders are scheduled to open in November, after which the repair work is expected to begin.
Roads transferred to PWD
Retghat to Lalghati Square
Nanke Petrol Pump to Board Office
Lalghati to Collectorate via Royal Market and Moti Masjid, returning to Retghat via Iqbal Maidan
GPO via Sadar Manzil, Akashvani Square to Regional College Square
The transfer was made ahead of the Global Investors Summit earlier this year, to ensure smooth connectivity for international delegates expected to visit the city.
Whom to blame?
PWD divisional officers confirmed that those four roads were repaired ahead of GIS-2025 by their department, but the corporation has yet to complete the official paperwork for transferring jurisdiction.
However, BMC chairman Kishan Suryavanshi said that the corporation had handed over those roads to PWD.
