Mumbai: If you fill potholes, it's illegal, BMC warns citizens

There have been instances in the past where citizens have filled potholes with debris but according to the civic body, people should approach them with their complaints instead

At a time when the city's pothole menace has forced residents to fill the craters on the roads themselves in desperation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed citizens on Twitter that doing so is illegal. The tweet, predictably, has drawn strong criticism from Twitterati who have claimed that citizens were forced to do the inefficient civic body's job.

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BMC's tweet on Saturday stated, "Dear Mumbaikars, always approach @mybmc to fix the potholes. It is the legal and correct way. Avoid filling any potholes on your own using debris. Using incorrect methods of filling potholes may lead to accidents. It is illegal to do so. Please don't take law in your hands."

There have been instances in the past where citizens have filled potholes with debris but according to the civic body, people should approach them with their complaints instead. However, many citizens pointed out that many times even BMC contractors don't follow the correct process of filling potholes.

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Speaking to mid-day, Mushtaq Ansari, who has previously shelled out from his own pocket to fill potholes, said, "Even BMC road engineers should be supervised. Contractors have enjoyed monopoly over the past 20 years and it's the reason why reputable companies don't take up these projects. Crores are spent but there is no end result. The daily commute has become a nightmare due to the pathetic condition of the roads. Instead of tweeting such a message, the BMC should fill potholes and then tweet those pictures. Instead of doing their work, they are asking citizens not to do it."

Another resident, Irfan Machhiwala, said, "The administration should first make Mumbai pothole-free and then tweet such messages. Civic officials should be held responsible if any untoward incident happens in the city. The BMC should file criminal cases against such guilty officials." "BMC doesn't do their own work properly and when citizens make efforts to fix potholes, the civic body threatens them by sending such tweets," said RTI activist Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh.

While BMC's additional municipal commissioner, Vijay Singhal, was not available for comment, an official said, "The tweet was to make citizens aware that they should reach out to the proper channel instead of taking law in their hands. If debris is not properly levelled, it increases the risk of accidents. This is why we have appointed contractors to look into the complaints."

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