End of the road for paver blocks in Mumbai
Mumbai’s 12-year experiment with paver blocks came to an end on Tuesday, after the BMC decided to completely stop using them. On Monday, Mirror had reported about the BMC’s plans to replace paver blocks with mastic asphalt at traffic junctions and arterial roads, a significant step towards reducing bottlenecks. Uneven paver blocks have been blamed by citizens and activists for years for slowing down traffic and the crumbling road infrastructure.
A day after the report, leaders of political parties, in a meeting with BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta, urged the administration to put a blanket ban on the use of paver blocks. Everyone was on the same page—the BJP, Shiv Sena, MNS, SP, Congress and NCP all agreed. The decision was unanimous.
“Hereafter no new proposal allowing the use of paver blocks for repair and construction of roads will be approved by the administration. Those that have already been passed will not be impacted,” said Rais Shaikh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) group leader. The Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray even used his twitter account to thank Mirror for its reporting. According to civic officials, BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta is aiming for smoother roads to reduce travel time for commuters.
“Paver blocks have several joints. The blocks usually get dislodged and turn into potholes. These pose a great danger to the life of motorists, especially those driving two-wheelers,” said Sandeep Deshpande, an MNS leader.
In 2014, former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) wrote to then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, asking him to ban paver blocks. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had also been urging the administration to minimize the use of these blocks, demanded they be used only for footpaths. This year, the BMC had planned to spend Rs 2,322 crore on the construction of new roads, Rs 375 crore of which was to be spent on new roads with paver blocks. But after Mirror reported about the alleged 500 crore scam, the administration decided to focus on monitoring the quality of the work.
A day after the report, leaders of political parties, in a meeting with BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta, urged the administration to put a blanket ban on the use of paver blocks. Everyone was on the same page—the BJP, Shiv Sena, MNS, SP, Congress and NCP all agreed. The decision was unanimous.
“Hereafter no new proposal allowing the use of paver blocks for repair and construction of roads will be approved by the administration. Those that have already been passed will not be impacted,” said Rais Shaikh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) group leader. The Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray even used his twitter account to thank Mirror for its reporting. According to civic officials, BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta is aiming for smoother roads to reduce travel time for commuters.
The paver blocks were first introduced in 2002-03. But instead of improving roads, they caused a nightmare for drivers: the blocks frequently broke or came off, disturbing the road alignment.
“Paver blocks have several joints. The blocks usually get dislodged and turn into potholes. These pose a great danger to the life of motorists, especially those driving two-wheelers,” said Sandeep Deshpande, an MNS leader.
In 2014, former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) wrote to then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, asking him to ban paver blocks. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had also been urging the administration to minimize the use of these blocks, demanded they be used only for footpaths. This year, the BMC had planned to spend Rs 2,322 crore on the construction of new roads, Rs 375 crore of which was to be spent on new roads with paver blocks. But after Mirror reported about the alleged 500 crore scam, the administration decided to focus on monitoring the quality of the work.
