Potholes to craters: Mumbaikars demand better roads

A BUMPY RIDE: In Mumbai contractors are failing to meet the civic body's deadline to repair badly potholed roads.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Maharaj or Dada, Ganguly's legacy lives on

Featured Slideshows

Mumbai: The condition of roads in Mumbai is at its worse, with thousands of potholes making the roads virtually impossible to drive on.

One of the posh suburbs of Mumbai, Bandra can easily earn the top prize for being the suburb with the most number of potholes, with virtually every lane and bylane badly scarred.

Meanwhile, the rest of the city is not far behind with contractors failing to meet the civic body's deadline to repair badly potholed roads.

For many, it's only history repeating itself. Except this year, Mumbaikars say, the condition is at its worse.

"The condition of the roads are pathetic. I am pregnant and I just can't walk on them," says an angry pedestrian.

"The potholes start from Chembur to Sion. it's is just too much, unbearable," says another resident of Mumbai.

"The problem can only sorted by using better material for the roads," advises a Mumbai resident.

The bad condition of roads in Mumbai suburbs, is making opinion-makers suggest the civic system needs to be rehauled for more effective management.

"I don't feel one municipality is enough for Mumbai. It has to be divided into two zones," says Congress MP Priya Dutt.

Meanwhile, Mumbai's Andheri flyover is one of the worst roads to drive on with numerous potholes in the road. Contractors do a shoddy job at filling up the road. BMC officials say, the contractors' patchy work will not survive even one rainfall.

The civic body says, so far it has levied a fine of Rs 12 lakhs on 10 errant contractors and has now set a new deadline of August 23.

"The base is not being prepared properly for the roads, hence there is a possibility of disintegration," says Chief Engineer, D L Shinde.

For the Mumbaikars, it's another case of mismanagement of roads and their tax money as well.