Mumbai: After facing criticism from citizens in some of the civic wards over ongoing road concretisation works, the BMC is taking steps to enhance transparency. It plans to launch a live dashboard offering real-time information on upcoming road projects, including timelines, all shared before work commences. The data is currently undergoing final verification at the ward level, and the dashboard is expected to go live within 15 days.
Work Halted Till Post-Monsoon
The BMC had halted road concretisation works on May 31, with plans to resume after the monsoon from October 1. So far, 49% of the total work has been completed. However, in some areas, local residents criticised the BMC for initiating roadwork without adequate public consultation.
Citizens have since demanded greater transparency, including display boards at work sites showing details such as the contractor’s name, project start date, and expected completion date.
Pothole Dashboard Model Extended to Roads
On June 11, the BMC launched a live dashboard for citizens to track pothole complaints and resolutions in real time. Now, it plans to roll out a similar dashboard for road concretisation projects. While officials currently use an internal dashboard to monitor progress remotely, the new version will be public-facing, allowing citizens to track project timelines and updates for roads being concretised.
Verification Delays New Launch Date
The dashboard will display details of upcoming road projects, including the contractor’s name, start and completion dates. Initially set to go live on August 15, it is now expected to be available from first week of September.
“Before being shared with the public, the data will undergo final verification at the ward level, which may take another 15 days,” said a senior civic official.
Welcoming the move, Vinod Gholap, president of Fight for Right Foundation, said, “We appreciate the BMC’s initiative, as it will improve coordination between civic departments and ensure citizens are informed in advance about which roads to avoid. It will also help the public hold the authorities accountable in case of project delays.”
City’s Pothole-Free Road Initiative
In July 2022, following directives from then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the BMC launched a major initiative to make all city roads pothole-free. Under Phase 1 and Phase 2, a total of 2,121 road works were planned, covering 698.44 km.
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As of May 31, work on 1,385 roads (342.74 km) has been completed. Of these, 771 roads (186 km) are fully completed, while 614 roads (156.74 km) have been partially completed either from junction to junction or half-width. Work on these 614 roads is scheduled to resume from October 1, post-monsoon. The remaining 736 untouched roads will be taken up thereafter.
