Mumbai: Repairs begin on cracked and criticised Aarey road

BMC-appointed contractor has begun repairing the cracks. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Following an article in this newspaper highlighting the development of cracks in a stretch of the freshly constructed cement concrete road at Aarey Milk Colony, indicating substandard construction, the BMC-appointed contractor has begun repairing the cracks.

On December 7, mid-day covered a story detailing how cracks have developed in the recently built cement concrete road at Aarey Colony. The report emphasised concerns regarding the substandard quality of construction, drawing criticism from activists and locals, despite the road's stipulated liability period of 10 years. Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Road Department have assured of repairing these cracks.

The BMC initiated the concretisation project of Aarey Colony's main road, spanning from Goregaon junction to the L&T junction of Powai in 2022, with an anticipated completion date of 2025. A contract worth Rs 51.6 crore was awarded to the company undertaking the road construction. According to the tender conditions, the road carries a defect liability period of 10 years, with 20 per cent of the contract amount disbursed in equal instalments over a decade post-completion. Upon visiting Aarey Colony, mid-day discovered multiple cracks at various spots along the road.

An official associated with the project acknowledged the presence of cracks at several locations, saying, "Yes, we've inspected these road cracks and have instructed the contractor to reconstruct these sections. Additionally, we plan to impose fines in accordance with regulations." The authorities seem to have taken the mid-day article seriously, as evident from the commencement of repair work.

The contract for the construction of the concrete cement road has been divided among two contractors: one responsible for the stretch from the Western Express Highway at Goregaon to Filter Pada near S ward boundary, and the other handling the section from the Marol side to the picnic point.

Sandip Gadhave, shakhapramukh of Shiv Sena UBT group, said, "It's good to see repair work begin on the cement concrete road where cracks had surfaced. The BMC must closely oversee the contractor's work on the remaining stretch of the main road in Aarey. Strict actions must be taken, in accordance with the law, if similar issues arise again."

A BMC official stated, "We are also monitoring the repairs and have issued strict instructions to prevent the reoccurrence of such issues during the remaining road construction."

10
No of years defect liability period of the concrete road