Mumbai: ‘Without quality and technique, no point in concreting roads’

Instead of focusing purely on concreting roads, the civic body should put emphasis on quality of raw material and construction techniques, experts and activists have said. The BMC claims it will concrete 1,000 km of roads in two years. But only 68 km in total have been concreted in 12 months. Experts told mid-day merely reconstructing roads will not solve the issue and that a change in attitude and responsibility of the administration is required.

Nandkumar Salvi, ex-chief engineer of the BMC and convener of Mumbai Vikas Samiti, said, "The administration has discredited asphalt. But it is a better option than concrete, which is very expensive. Quality control is the key. An asphalt road with appropriate grading of gravel, slope so that water doesn't accumulate and ducts for utilities will increase the lifespan of asphalt roads. Various committees, including the STAC (standing technical advisory committee), have already submitted detailed reports, but nowadays IAS officers do not want to follow the advice of experts and this is the reason behind the sorry state of roads. No one can fill potholes in the monsoon. A survey of bad patches in October and resurfacing of roads a month before the rainy season is advisable."

Trivankumar Karnani and Pankaj Joshi

Kamlakar Shenoy, an activist, highlighted some reasons why the state of roads in the city is awful. "The lifespan of concrete is 30 to 50 years. But it starts breaking within three to five years. The best example is the Eastern Freeway which is worn out as illegal mastic was laid on the concrete road. A tar road's lifespan is five to 10 years. But the road wore out immediately. All chambers and manholes are uneven and broken, which creates additional obstacles. The surface is terrible and creates a saucer where water stagnates and destroys the road. This is all because of poor workmanship. Quality control has totally collapsed," he said.

He added that the lack of supervision and lack of accountability at the additional-commissioner-level was the main reason for the situation. The bridges and road department is facing a 40 per cent shortage of engineers. "The seniors do not go on rounds and prepare inspection reports," he said.

Trivankumar Karnani, founder, Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), said, regardless of the material used for roads, the quality of the raw materials and techniques employed are crucial. "If the raw materials are substandard and the work is done hastily, we will forever see potholes on our roads. Asia's largest and richest civic body has been unable to resolve the issue for decades as if it's rocket science. There is corruption at every stage when it comes to road contracting. Roads are defective due to the usage of substandard materials by road contractors who are trying to make their business commercially viable."

Potholes on Ghodbunder Road in Thane on July 6, 2022. File Pic/Sameer Markande

According to Pankaj Joshi, principal director, Urban Centre Mumbai, unplanned trenching is responsible for potholes. "Asphalt roads should be laid after a proper crust is made and with proper curing, which is problematic in fast-paced Mumbai due to time constraints. Cement concrete roads with well-designed stormwater drains and service ducts or trenches to avoid repeated digging is the solution. Concreting must be expedited to cover 95-plus per cent of roads in the city," he said.

Zoru Bhathena, an activist, said, "‘Only cement roads can solve Mumbai's woes' is a lie put out to fatten the pockets of the lie-tellers. Road surface material makes no difference. The quality of material and work makes all the difference. In Mumbai, you will find perfectly good paver block roads, asphalt roads and cement roads and you will find terrible ones too, including terrible cement ones."

Mushtaq Ansari, an activist who has been working to fill potholes on various roads, said, "The civic corporation must give contracts only to reputed corporations which are more reliable than small contractors who have less machinery and face staff shortage. The BMC must resurface the uneven roads with hot mix asphalt or temporary rapid hardening concrete as is done on many roads in Mumbai. It is more successful and long-lasting than using cold mix, which gets washed away in just a few days."

The Bombay High Court has sought the presence of the Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Thane and Mira Bhayander civic chiefs as well as the MMRDA metropolitan commissioner on Friday to explain why they should not be made liable for disobedience in connection with the state of roads.