BMC says 90 per cent potholes repaired, Mumbaikars rubbish claims

According to Khar resident, potholes keep reappearing at the junction of 15th and 30th Road due to the poor quality of repairs. All pictures by local residents. Pic/Suni Khosla

If the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is to be believed, there are hardly any potholes left on Mumbai's roads. The municipal corporation claims that since the beginning of the monsoon, they have repaired 90 per cent of 2,294 craters that appeared on this city's roads, and only 288 remain. But citizens have brushed this off as a 'hole' lot of rubbish, especially when you consider that over 27,000 pothole complaints have been registered on Mumbaipotholes.com in the last month alone.

Vinod Chithore, chief engineer of BMC's roads and Traffic department, said, "Till August 24, we received 2,294 pothole complaints from citizens across the city. Out of this, we have repaired 2,006 potholes, and only 288 remain to be filled, which will be completed in the next few days. Till now, the Corporation has used about 500 tonnes of cold mix to fill potholes."

What's to stop this autorickshaw or a bike from toppling over in this pothole at Daulat Nagar in Santacruz West? Pic/Mushtaq Ansari

However, citizens from various spots in the western suburbs rubbished these claims and sent mid-day several pictures of roads riddled with potholes. Many claimed that despite complaints, the civic body either does not bother to fill the potholes or does such a shoddy job that the craters keep reappearing.

Citizens rubbish claims
Sunil Khosla, a resident of Bandra West, said, "The junction of 15th and 30th Road in Khar has been repaired several times, but the craters keep coming back. This shows the poor quality of repairs. Water accumulates at this stretch all the time due to these potholes."

Potholes like this one near Infiniti Mall on the busy New Link Road in Andheri West can jam traffic for hours. Pic/Dhaval Shah

He added, "There are also potholes on 30th Road, opposite China Gate restaurant. I have already filed a complaint, but there has been no change for the last one month," said the furious citizen.

Mushtaq Ansari, a Mumbaikar who has come to be known as pothole killer after he independently started repairing craters across the city, said, "Bandra's Shirley Rajan Road has so many potholes, despite recent repairs. It was at the centre of controversy after potholes appeared on the street after just days of rainfall." The contractor has since been blacklisted, said Chithore from the BMC, adding, "This road's condition is very poor, and a permanent solution can only be done once the monsoon ends."

Two auto rickshaws nearly collided on Sunday because of potholes at Daulat Nagar, Santacruz. Pic/Mushtaq Ansari

Cause of collisions
On Sunday, Ansari visited three roads and broadcasted live videos on Twitter to show the extent of damage. He also filled holes along Linking Road in Khar West with the help of locals. But it was the state of a road in Santacruz West that he found even more alarming.

"Relief Road at Daulat Nagar, Santacruz, has become a swimming pool. There are multiple potholes on this road, which connects the nearby school and Nanavati Hospital. Many school bus operators complain about pothole-related injuries. On Sunday, I saw two autos nearly collide into each other due to the potholes. The authorities should repair this road as soon as possible."

Ansari filled potholes on Linking Road, Khar, with the help of locals

Traffic jams
Citizens complained that these potholes were not only dangerous, but also caused long traffic jams. Several Mumbaikars' complaints were highlighted by the Twitter handle 'Roads of Mumbai'.

Dhaval Shah, from the of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Residents Association (LOCA) said potholes had worsened the already nightmarish traffic in Andheri West, especially outside Infiniti Mall on New Link Road and near Flag's banquet hall at Lokhandwala Complex. "These potholes have there for a month, and were not repaired even once. A frustrated vegetable vendor filled the pothole near Flag's with some bricks and pavers. Potholes on these roads are leading to traffic congestion, since part of the road is already covered for Metro work."

The other side
According to the BMC's data, A ward, H-East, K-East, P-North and P-South are five wards where maximum potholes were reported. When asked about the higher number of complaints on Mumbaipotholes.com, Chithore said, "I have gone through the complaints on the website. Many of them are just complaints of water accumulation, which have been shown as potholes."

World record?
Navin Lade, a member of the Republican Party of India, is running the 'Pothole Free Mumbai' a campaign, and created the website Mumbaipotholes.com. Lade claims that in the last 38 days, the website got huge response from citizens, and has so far received 27,358 pothole complaints.

Citizens reported potholes at Chembur Flyover, Chandivli, Mankhurd, Govandi, LBS Road in Bhandup and Nahur in the eastern suburbs. To shame the BMC, Lade has sent the data to the Guinness Book of Records, Limca Book of Records, India Book of Records, World Record India and Golden Book of Records, seeking recognition for Mumbai as a city with the most potholes.

Also Read: Mumbai: Potholes On Goregaon Flyover Fixed, Contractor Told To Redo Surface

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