Mumbai’s pothole menace: BMC to use concrete on asphalt roads to fix issue
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a mission to address Mumbai's pothole menace, which has claimed several lives over the years. The civic body in Mumbai has said it will use concrete on the regular asphalt roads to get rid of potholes, which cause serious challenges for daily commuters in the city. The announcement came just days before the civic body is scheduled to go to polls. The pothole menace in Mumbai, which has often led to BMC drawing public wrath, will be one of the key issues in the upcoming polls.
According to P Velarasu, Additional Municipal Commissioner at BMC, the civic body has already converted nearly half of Mumbai's 2,055-km road network with cement concrete. "Going by the current pace, we have targeted to convert all the remaining roads into CC roads in the next five years," Velarasu was 1quoted by news agency PTI.
During monsoon every year, Mumbai's roads become a nightmare for commuters due to potholes created due to heavy rains and flooding. The asphalt roads, while they are drivable during drier days, tend to crack during the rainy season. Commuters often complain of getting physically and mentally exhausted while driving on such roads filled with potholes. Even the vehicles also get damaged often while plying on such roads. The BMC said it has received more than 10,000 complaints regarding potholes spread across 17,000 square meters in the city till from April to mid-June this year.
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To tackle the issue, BMC has launched an app for commuters to raise complaints. It also offers such facility through official websites, social media, and a toll-free helpline. The BMC has offered ₹2 crore each to 24 wards for fixing potholes by supplying 422 tons of dry cold mix till last week. It claims that it repairs potholes within 48 hours of receiving complaints.
According to BMC, it had converted over 800 kilometres of roads into CC roads in the last 5-6 years. “If you see the life cycle cost, cement concrete roads are cheaper. Once built, they don't need to be looked after again provided they are constructed properly," Velarasu said. "Compared to the 4-5 year lifespan of asphalt roads, CC roads have a lifespan of at least 20 years, and if constructed properly they could last even 30 years," he added.
"To avoid repeated digging of roads, BMC will keep flexible pavements for various utilities like sewage lines, water pipelines, power lines and telephone wires, alongside the CC roads," the BMC official added.
