Who repaired this pothole?

Days after MiD DAY carried a picture of a 60-inch pothole on RC Marg, it has been levelled but neither BMC nor MMRDA is ready to take credit for the selective filling job

Days after MiD DAY carried a picture of a 60-inch pothole on RC Marg, it has been levelled but neither BMC nor MMRDA is ready to take credit for the selective filling job

Within days after MiD DAY published the picture of a 60-inch diameter pothole right opposite Marauli Church bus stop in Chembur, the authorities have filled up that very spot, caring little to level innumerable other potholes dotting the 2.5 km stretch of RC Road. Ironically, neither the BMC nor the MMRDA is willing to take credit for the 'selective repair' job. Apparently, the civic body and the infrastructure-planning agency are passing the buck around.


Whodunnit? The BMC filled up the 60-inch diameter pothole right
opposite Marauli Church bus stop in Chembur yesterday. Pic/Sameer
Markande

Assistant engineer of the M-East ward Naresh Pol said, "The road falls under the MMRDA and they are responsible for its maintenance only." Rejecting his claim, an MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, said that the road was handed over to the civic body a few months ago. But MMRDA signboards all along the road and its men working on the stretch tell a different story.

An official from the BMC's road department said, "The road comes under the BMC's jurisdiction and it is the job of the ward office to carry out the maintenance work." The road is still in a very bad shape and needs urgent attention and repair. Commuters face a lot of problems on this stretch. Neha Upadhyay, a resident of Chembur Camp, said, "Not only do I get late in getting home every evening, but I also develop a headache because of the decibel torture of the honking vehicles, stranded in the traffic. The daily ritual of bumper-to-bumper traffic adds to the pollution in the area."

The BMC executive engineer remained unavailable for comment. The assistant commissioner of the M-west ward, Sanjay Barde said, "Today the BMC offices were closed, so I don't know about it. I cannot comment unless I check with my subordinates. Anyway, the road falls under the MMRDA. Probably, they filled the pothole." There are many other roads, which have not been looked upon at all by the BMC or the MMRDA as they have kept passing the buck around.

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