The BMC has come under severe criticism for its ongoing failure to address the city's persistent pothole problem, despite a staggering Rs3,000 crore spent over the past 25 years. Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ashish Shelar has accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) group, which has been in power for over two-and-a-half decades, of mismanagement and inefficacy in tackling the issue.
Shelar highlighted the inefficiency of the current administration by citing claims from the Mumbai Traffic Police that each pothole has been filled nearly eight times in the last month alone due to incessant rains.
During a recent tour of his assembly constituency, including areas such as Bandra, Khar, and Santacruz, Shelar, accompanied by BMC officials and former corporator Swapna Mathur, observed firsthand that the BMC's claims of having filled 475 potholes across six wards were far from reality. Contractors such as NCC, DHP, Infratech, and VNC Infra, responsible for the maintenance, have reportedly only completed about 70% of the required work, leaving many potholes unaddressed.
Shelar's criticism extended to the transparency and accountability of the BMC's operations. “The BMC must create a special pothole website that can be monitored and tracked by citizens. They should post ward-wise pictures of potholes being filled, along with the date and time.
Shelar called for daily third-party audits of at least 10% of the potholes, with the findings to be uploaded to the website within 48 hours for every ward.
Residents of Khar and Vakola are expressing their exasperation over the city's persistent pothole crisis. Meera Joshi, a resident of Khar said, “It's disheartening to see the same potholes being filled repeatedly without any lasting solution in sight. We need more accountability and transparency from the BMC to ensure our roads are safe. But unfortunately, we have no authority to question this situation. Who can we complain to?”
Santosh Kambli, a resident of Vakola, Santacruz, echoed similar sentiments. “There are several areas that develop potholes every year, which have become annual fixtures. The road leading to the airport from Bandra is a constant source of frustration, with passengers getting stuck in traffic due to the poor condition of the road. The uneven road surface near the Vakola police station has led to numerous accidents involving motorbikes. The construction of new metro lines and flyovers has also resulted in new potholes emerging. We suffer as a result, but it seems the government has no interest in addressing our concerns."
