15 March,2015 08:05 AM IST | | Sachin Unhalekar
The BMC’s decision comes after citizens’ complaints about the poor quality of roads
Paver blocks stacked underneath the Kingu00e2u0080u0099s Circle flyover in Matunga. Pic/Suresh KK
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to make the city completely free of paver blocks and have started removing them from many locations across the city. However, the removed blocks were, so far, stored under bridges and by the roadside, as officials contemplated ways to dispose them.
Paver blocks stacked underneath the King's Circle flyover in Matunga. Pic/Suresh KK
The civic body has now decided to dump the paver blocks at the city's dumping grounds, for the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department's use, to lay roads at the grounds. The civic body's decision came after citizens complained, for years, about the poor quality of roads due to the paver blocks.
Ashok Pawar, chief engineer, Roads and Traffic, said, "Most of the paver blocks which were unused will now be sent to the dumping ground. Those paver blocks which are still in good condition will be used to repair patches on roads."
Paver blocks will now be used solely in narrow lanes where a road roller cannot enter. The BMC has started removing paver blocks from roads where they were first placed more than three years ago. As of now, the corporation has started to remove paver blocks from 50 minor roads and 10 major roads in the island city. Furthermore, work has also begun at 26 minor and 10 major roads in the Western suburbs. In the Eastern suburbs, blocks are being removed from over 27 roads, including major and minor roads.
The first phase of this work will be completed by April 15. Minesh Pimple, deputy chief engineer, soil waste management said, "It's a good thing that the dumping ground will receive these paver blocks. We can lay them at the dumping ground to make a makeshift road. This will be helpful during the monsoon, when the ground turns muddy, and it gets difficult to walk there."
