Mumbai: Ahead of the monsoon, the BMC has invited a tender for pre-monsoon preventive maintenance and filling bad patches of service road of Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in mastic at a whopping cost of Rs. 73.53 crores. However, to ensure good quality of work, a mandatory declaration from the road department should be taken confirming that potholes have been repaired as per prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) before authorizing payments to contractors, demands an activist.
Previously overseen by the state Public Works Department and later the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the EEH maintenance was taken over by the BMC in 2022. The civic body spent Rs. 63.12 crores on preventive maintenance works on EEH last year. However, citizens still face inconvenience due to potholes and uneven surfaces on the highway. The civic body invited a new tender for the maintenance work on Wednesday. Godfrey Pimenta, founder of WatchDog Foundation, has written a letter to the BMC and Maharashtra's chief secretary requesting transparency, accountability, and efficiency in road maintenance processes.
"It has been noticed that several road contractors responsible for past constructions that have led to potholes during the Defect Liability Period (DLP) continue to get contracts. We strongly believe that such contractors should be barred and blacklisted from future projects and contracts for pothole repairs should not be awarded to them. Potholes are often not cut to the recommended depth, loose gravel is not adequately cleaned, and roads are reopened to traffic prematurely, leading to substandard repairs and bumpy rides for commuters. There appears to be a lack of oversight regarding the certification of bills submitted by road contractors for payment. We urge the implementation of stricter protocols to ensure that payments are only authorized, once it has been verified that repairs have been carried out in accordance with SOPs," said Pimenta.
A civic official said, "We are taking preventive measures to reduce the number of potholes on EEH. We will ensure that the contractors maintain the standards of work.” After taking possession from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the BMC has undertaken repair work on Western Express Highway and the EEH from 2022. The WEH starts from Bandra and ends at Dahisar Check Naka. EEH starts from Mulund and ends at Sion. The two of the busiest traffic stretches have a length of around 50 km. The BMC has undertaken resurfacing of both the highways with micro-surfacing technology. The method will enhance durability and increase the infrastructure's life by four to five years, said the civic official.
