Mumbai, September 28: Traffic personnel from the Kurla Traffic Division were seen filling potholes on Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Marg on Saturday afternoon, stepping in after repeated requests to the civic authorities went unanswered. LBS Marg, notorious for its chronic traffic jams caused by ongoing metro works and pothole-ridden roads, has long been a source of frustration for both commuters and traffic officials.
According to traffic officials, multiple letters had been sent to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the past few weeks, urging them to repair the deteriorating road outside the Kurla Depot along LBS Marg. "We have sent 4-5 letters to the BMC, but no action was taken. Given how bad the traffic situation has been for the past two days, we decided to take matters into our own hands on Saturday," said a traffic police official.
By noon, three traffic personnel arrived outside Kurla Depot with mud, as they were unable to procure cold mix asphalt. Armed with shovels, they set to work filling the potholes, while another officer temporarily halted traffic to facilitate the repairs.
"The traffic on this road is horrendous. One side is blocked due to metro construction, which has narrowed the road, and the potholes only make it worse. I'm hoping the filled potholes will ease some of the congestion," said Salil Qureshi, a local resident who frequently commutes via LBS Marg.
The efforts by the traffic police drew significant attention on social media when entrepreneur Murtaza Saifuddin posted a video of the officers filling potholes on the platform 'X' (formerly Twitter). The video quickly went viral, with many users praising the traffic police and harshly criticizing the BMC. "Such a shame on BMC. These poor traffic cops are forced to do extra work because of the civic body's inefficiency," commented one user. Many others shared similar sentiments, lauding the traffic police for going beyond their usual duties to improve road conditions.
The situation was further exacerbated by the heavy rainfall that began on September 25, worsening the already challenging conditions in Kurla, a low-lying area prone to waterlogging. Continuous downpours left vast sections of LBS Marg, from Kurla to Mulund, submerged. Vehicles were partially underwater, causing severe disruptions to traffic. Long queues of stranded motorists and pedestrians stretched along the road for hours, with no assistance in sight.
"Waterlogging made the traffic bottlenecks even worse. Given how bad things had become over the last 2-3 days, we couldn’t just keep waiting. We had to act with whatever resources we had," said PI Ramesh Dhasal, Senior Police Inspector of Kurla Traffic Division. "We don't see this as an additional burden; it's part of our duty to ensure smooth traffic flow," he added.
