28 August,2018 06:00 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day correspondent
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says there are hardly any potholes left on Mumbai's roads. The civic body claims that since the beginning of the monsoon, they have repaired 90 per cent of 2,294 craters that appeared on this city's roads, and only 288 remain. Citizens though have brushed this off as rubbish. They base their theory on the fact that over 27,000 pothole complaints have been registered on Mumbaipotholes.com in the last month alone.
A front page report in this paper cited the BMC officials talking about the number of potholes they have filled. Citizens inundated the paper with contrary evidence, stating specifically that even when the potholes were filled, they seem to fall apart, quite soon after repairs. This perhaps is the most worrying aspect as it puts a question mark on the quality of material used and enrages people as it is a waste of taxpayers' money and time.
The civic authorities and people have to be on the same page when it comes to potholes. The BMC has opened several help lines and social media handles, so that people can report potholes. This is a welcome initiative, which is supposed to bring the civic authorities and people closer together. Instead we see it has becoming a dividing line with locals and the BMC in a claim and counterclaim match.
It is counterproductive when two sections of the city, both of which should be talking the same lingo, having a trust relationship with each other, actually have a chasm in between. The BMC must take note of charges that potholes are reappearing on repaired sections of roads. Corporators make yourself available on one Sunday every month to your locals, who must be absolutely spot on with evidence about the pothole menace. The helplines are open, now Mumbaikars and BMC come together to say goodbye to craters, which should not be seen as part of the Mumbai monsoon.
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