Mumbai : Even after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared on September 26 that all civic roads should be repaired within 15 days, there is still no improvement in the situation. Many questions have been raised as the civic body claims that there are only 35 potholes left in the city which is making a mockery of the whole thing.
Interestingly, a former Vigilance officer (special duty) I C Sisodia, is still waiting for a reply for the letter which he had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and civic chief Ajoy Mehta complaining about the MCGM’s failure to tackle the pathetic conditions of the roads. FPJ is in possession of that letter dated April 29, 2015. Sisodia in his letter addressed the CM and Mehta saying, “The primary reason for such apathy is delay in monitoring tendering procedure with great conflict of interest and there is no inclusion of condition of life-threatening offences against the defaulting contractors in the tender.”
“The engineers, who have been employed by the civic chief, have not served the practical article-ship to a set pattern like doctors and chartered accountants. They do not know how and what system and device can be developed, how to actually lay a road and to maintain it,” said Sisodia while talking to FPJ. He also stressed upon the lacuna which is a lack of qualified supervision of Vigilance and Audit agencies during tendering process and also during laying of roads by the contractors. “There was a time when there were no potholes on the Dr Annie Besant Road and now there are so many potholes, laments Sisodia.
The letter also stated that the civic administration has neglected suggestions by the N V Merani’s Standard, technical Road Advisory Committee and other committees to bring new energy and methods to roads sector. As it has been observed that the fatalistic attitude prevents the civic authorities and staff from accepting clearly defined role and responsibility for their positions.
