3 deadlines over, but potholes prosper

The third deadline promised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to fill potholes on city roads expired on Wednesday, October 5. However, all three deadlines have been missed by the civic body so far. Our photographers toured the city and found many roads reddened with potholes.

The BMC had earlier assured corporators that potholes would be repaired before the beginning of Ganeshotsav. Later, the closing date was extended for the immersion days.

Having failed to meet both the deadlines, corporators made a scathing attack on the civic administration in the standing committee, to which officials assured to repair potholes by October 5. As these deadlines have passed by, roads in Mumbai continue to be pockmarked, causing huge inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians.

The civic body has now come up with a new deadline of October 10 to fill potholes on city roads. But citing civic engineers’ strike threat, the civic body is still not sure whether this deadline can also be met successfully.

Civic chief Ajoy Mehta said, “We have set a self-imposed deadline of October 10 to fill all potholes on city roads. But we will not be able to achieve the target if civic engineers continue to strike to protest the ill-treatment of chief engineer (roads). I have appealed them not to continue the strike as pothole-filling works need to be carried out on priority.”

The civic engineers have gone on strike from Thursday to protest the alleged harassment and defamation of Sanjay Darade, chief engineer (roads) department, by the MNS corporators Sandeep Deshpande and Santosh Dhuri.

On Wednesday, they asked Mr Darade to visit potholes in Dadar and then forced him to hold a placard, which read, ‘I am responsible for potholes on roads.’

The engineers have threatened to continue the strike till action is taken against the two MNS corporators.

The civic administration has blamed non-stop rains for delay in pothole repairs.

Despite the hue and cry over the rising number of potholes, it has said there are only 35 potholes to be attended in the city.

Contesting the BMC’s claims, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has decided to undertake ‘pothole count’ drive in South Mumbai on Friday.

The drive will start from near Basilico Restaurant and Ideal Restaurant at Colaba at 10 am. Rais Shaikh, SP group leader in the BMC said, “All deadlines have passed, but then BMC administration hasn’t done anything. The commissioner should ask forgiveness from Mumbaikars for failing them repeatedly.”