Mumbai: Umbrella protesters get BMC to act on potholes

Protesters covered the potholes with umbrellas to draw attention to the plight of motorists

Around 50 members of the not-for-profit Watchdog Foundation led a protest at Sahar village, Vile Parle on Saturday, to highlight the shoddy road work by the authorities. The protesters covered the potholes with umbrellas to draw attention to the plight of motorists.

"Last week, a scooter broke down on this stretch due to the potholes," said Godfrey Pimenta, a lawyer and founder of Watchdog Foundation. The NGO also placed gunny bags filled with debris on a water-logged road outside the ATS Complex in Sahar, so that people didn't have to step into mucky water.

At the umbrella protest, the protesters were carrying placards that read: "Bahut Maal Churaya, College of Pothole Engineering." Taking a dig at the BMC, the posters also highlighted how this "college" offered courses that included rigging of road contracts, new technology to create sub-standard roads, bribology, cartelisation, and booty sharing. "Academic Year: Prior monsoon season every year," it read.

"Writing letters and sending tweets doesn't seem to be making an impact anymore. The authorities are thick-skinned. We have to look for novel ways to get their attention." Post the protest, the BMC sent a team to cover the road with asphalt.

Pimenta added, "Bills for contractors should only be filled once competent third party auditors like IIT-B and VJTI have surveyed the roads." He also urged lawyers who fight criminal cases pro bono to support the cause of Mumbai's roads, and take authorities to task. According to him, if the roads leading to the airport and the Bandra Worli Sea Link are in mint condition, the BMC has no excuse for maintaining the rest of the roads.

50
No of members who participated in the protest