The ongoing road digging for concretisation in several wards across the city has caused inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians. Following complaints from the Colaba and Fort areas, the civic authorities have now instructed officials to promptly barricade the affected areas and ensure that as much road space as possible remains open for traffic, thereby minimising disruption and inconvenience to the public.
The BMC has been working on the concretisation of 1,173 roads, covering 433 kilometers, with 260 roads completed in Phase 1 and 496 under construction in Phase 2. However, the extensive road excavation has led to severe traffic congestion, pollution, and public frustration. In areas like Colaba and Fort, residents have threatened protests (dharna) due to the prolonged disruption caused by these ongoing works. To address the issue, senior civic officials conducted an overnight inspection of the road concretisation work in Andheri and Malad on Thursday midnight. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, along with Chief Engineer of Roads Girish Nikam, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Prof. Soloman, and representatives of the Quality Management and Control Agency (QMCA), were also present during the visit.
The team visited Ramchandra Marg and Evershine Nagar Marg in Malad, as well as Model Town Marg in Andheri. During the inspection, Bangar instructed the road officials that the concretisation works must be carried out using the 'junction-to-junction' method, connecting one junction to another. "If the work is not completed by May 31, 2025, no unnecessary excavation should take place. The road works should be completed within the stipulated timeline and maintain quality. Any delays would not be tolerated," he added.
Quality checks at RMC Plant
Contractors have set up 'Ready Mix Concrete Plants' in Kashimira - Mira Bhayandar and Kurla for the concretisation work. The material is transported to project sites, where quality tests like cube, slump, and bar tests are conducted. A 'video call' with QMCA representatives was also held. Bangar emphasised that material quality must be maintained by considering factors such as the distance between the RMC plant and the project site, as well as the temperature during transportation.
Information boards on road sites
While roads were excavated at several locations, the information boards about the project were missing. Bangar directed officials to ensure that notice boards at the work sites clearly display details such as the start date, expected completion date, total duration, road length and width, and the exact scope of work. He also said, "Proper barricading must be implemented during roadwork to maximise road usage for traffic, minimising inconvenience for the public during the project."
