Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday set a two-year deadline for the state government to repair and reconstruct roads in residential areas of the Aarey Milk Colony, while asking the government to expedite the related paperwork.
A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Arif S Doctor was hearing the petition filed by Binod Agarwal, a resident of Royal Palms in Aarey, seeking that the internal roads be handed over to the BMC for maintenance. The HC, on August 2 last year, had set up a committee to survey the 45km pothole-ridden stretch of internal roads in Aarey and suggest a roadmap for its repairs and reconstruction.
During the previous hearing, the bench had asked the government to expedite the process of repair and reconstruction proposal. Consequently, the department concerned initiated the work of consulting various authorities and parties involved. Moreover, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has cleared the way to the project, adding the caveat that it should not be shown as a political agenda.
Considering the conditions imposed by the ECI, the HC directed that there should not be any ceremony for the project. The bench finally disposed off the petition after the state government assured that after considering all the necessary permissions and precautions for wildlife, the road repair works would be completed expeditiously.
After surveying the 45-km potholed-stretch, the committee had recommended that the 8.22-km-long stretch of internal road in the Aarey Milk Colony need to be permanently closed, while the 19-km path requires immediate repair or reconstruction as the need may be. Given that Aarey falls in the heavy rainfall area, the panel underlined that undertaking repairs or reconstruction using concrete may be preferable.
“Concrete roads are more durable in the long run and would also result in economic use of budgetary resources,” it said. Stating that the roads “are not in good condition”, the committee suggested that the 1.5-km path from the Aarey Market to Mayur Nagar needs “reconstruction instead of repairs by fixing potholes”. The remaining 17 km can be repaired with a lesser treatment, it added.
