No smooth car ride this monsoon too

TMC claims to have filled 1,300 potholes of the 1,500, while commuters say repairs are of no use

THANE: Despite a budget of more than ₹2.25Cr for road repairs by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), there is no relief for the commuters from potholes in Thane city.

As per a survey conducted by the TMC last week, the city roads have more than 1,500 potholes. The TMC claimed that while it has filled nearly 1,300 small potholes, more than 300 bigger craters are still remaining to be filled. The officials are awaiting a dry spell to fill these craters.

The corporation has allotted ₹2.25Cr for road repairs this year to ensure a smooth commute to the motorists. From among the nine wards in Thane city, Vartak Nagar has the highest number of potholes at 405 while the lowest is in Wagle Estate at 87. Majiwada-Manpada ward that has the well-known and most accessed Ghodbunder Road has 133 potholes from among which 120 are already filled, claimed TMC.

TMC is filling these potholes using three different technologies. “For the bigger potholes, we are using the ready concrete mix. For those along the drainage, we are using the waterbound macadam (mixture of crushed stones, brick aggregate, filling material and water) method and near the Metro work, paver blocks are being used to fill the potholes. A good dry spell will help ensure that the roads are repaired properly,” said Ravindra Khadtale, city engineer, TMC.

In September 2020, Thane Guardian Minister and Cabinet minister, Eknath Shinde had asked all roads and flyovers within the limits of the TMC to be maintained by the civic body.

Khadtale added, “We had asked the agencies to complete the repair work on their roads and then hand them over to us so that we can maintain them. However, they have not yet completed the asphalting of most roads, so there was no question of handing over.”

Residents claimed that the pothole filing work wasn’t up to the mark. “Although they fill the potholes, in most cases they end up doing a bad job of it and the size of the pothole just increases. It is a nightmare,” said Aditi Kothari, 34, of Vartak Nagar.