Bombay HC to Maharashtra Govt: Use available expertise to improve road condition

Representational Picture

The Bombay High Court today suggested to the Maharashtra government to appoint a body of experts to recommend what techniques and materials should be used while constructing roads to ensure they remain pothole-free and in good condition.

A division bench of justices A S Oka and P N Deshmukh made the suggestion while hearing a public interest litigation taken up suo moto on the issue of poor condition of roads in the metropolis which was leading to accidents and death of motorists. "We do not understand why the state government has till date not appointed a body of experts. This is an issue which needs to be dealt by experts... may be from IIT or some other organisation... who know what techniques and materials are best suited while constructing roads," the court said.

The government must make use of the best talent available in the country for road construction, Justice Oka said. The court also said the government should come up with a central redressal mechanism for dealing with complaints lodged by people about bad roads. "A person may not know which road falls under which authority's jurisdiction. Hence, it is the government's obligation to set up a central mechanism and communicate a complaint to the authority concerned," Justice Oka said.

The bench noted that people, too, should come forward and lodge formal complaints. "People just post (views about bad roads) on social media. These posts are probably not being transferred into proper complaints." BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told the court that the issue of potholes and poor condition of roads comes into maximum prominence only in the months of June and July when the city witnesses monsoon. "After August, the situation is brought under control," he said.

Sakhare said after the death of a doctor last monsoon after he fell into an open manhole in central Mumbai, the civic corporation has come up with a new policy on manholes. The court directed Sakhare to place the policy before it next week.

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