State agencies scramble to fill potholes too
MUMBAI: Three state agencies that are in charge of maintaining the city’s two major arterial roads — Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and Western Express Highway (WEH) — are struggling to keep these roads free of potholes. Besides the BMC, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Public Works Department (PWD) and Maharashtra State Road Development Authority (MSRDC) are in charge of city roads and seem equally helpless at tackling potholes.
One of the prime reasons for roads developing potholes has been poor maintenance, said a senior public works department (PWD) official. However, officials only list heavy showers, bitumen (asphalt) roads and high traffic density as the reasons for the poor condition of roads in monsoon.
WEH stretches from Dahisar toll naka to Bandra, and EEH from Mulund toll naka to Sion.
The 16.65-km stretch of WEH between Dahisar and Andheri East has witnessed nearly 700 potholes in the past 10 days, according to the MMRDA data. The data added that MMRDA, which maintains the stretch, has plugged 632 potholes. While PWD , which maintains a portion of WEH between Andheri and Mahim, and the 22-km EEH between Somaiya Grounds in Sion and Golden Dye junction near Thane, said 90% of the potholes on the two stretches have been repaired.
RB Gadge, MMRDA chief engineer said they are working at night to fix potholes . There are seven teams for the task, he said.
A PWD official conceded that roads are not being repaired as per the rules.
Kishore Patil, PWD engineer, who is in-charge of EEH, said, “Mostly, the stretch is clear of potholes; there are some to be filled. We can say that 90% have been plugged. Four teams are working on both the carriageways.” Satish Salunkhe, superintendent engineer, MSRDC, said that though Mumbai Entry Points Ltd (MEPL) is in-charge of most of the flyovers on the two highways, the corporation is monitoring maintenance.