Mumbai: To ensure that pothole-related complaints are attended immediately during the monsoon, the BMC will nominate one sub-engineer for each of the 227 civic electoral wards. These engineers will have to visit the spot and ensure that the contractor fills the bad patch with mastic asphalt.
Delegation To Sub-Engineers For Timely Repairs
Earlier, the civic body would nominate one engineer for each of the 24 civic administrative wards to address potholes related to complaints. However, from last year, the civic authorities started nominating sub-engineers as per civic electoral wards to ensure that all the potholes-related complaints are attended to on time. The assistant commissioner of all the 24 administrative wards supervises pothole work being attended by the nominated sub-engineers.
"The sub-engineers should personally visit the roads in their respective areas to detect potholes and ensure that they are repaired within time. Besides this, they should also immediately attend all the pothole-related complaints received from the citizens, social media and local representatives," said a senior civic official.
Technology Shifts And Legal Challenges In Mumbai's Pothole Repair Efforts
One contractor for each of the seven zones has been appointed to fill the potholes. The BMC used reactive asphalt and rapid hardening of concrete to repair the potholes at the beginning of last year. However, mastic technology was used later as it was found to be useful, since other technologies had certain limitations. The civic body has earlier used jet patching machines, Austrian and Israeli asphalt mix technology in the past few years.
In March, a petition was filed by advocate Ruju Thakker seeking contempt action to be initiated against the civic authorities for failing to implement the high court orders of 2018 directing the repair of potholes along all arterial roads in Mumbai and neighbouring areas. The court has expressed surprise at the fact that despite spending Rs 273 crore on filling the potholes last monsoon, several potholes still existed on roads.
