Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Bridges burn Rs 27 crore hole in BMC's coffers, but potholes remain

Times of India: Mumbai: Wednesday, July 30, 2014.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has spent nearly Rs 27 crore to repair key bridges in the city since 2011, most of them in the island city, but they continue to be riddled with potholes each year.
Data obtained using the Right to Information (RTI) shows the BMC spent around Rs 19 crore on some bridges in the island city, while it spent Rs 5 crore and Rs 1 crore on bridges in the eastern and western suburbs respectively.
When TOI inspected a few of the bridges on Tuesday, most of them had developed uneven surfaces barely a month after the monsoon arrived. Several key bridges like Tilak bridge and Keshavsoot bridge in Dadar, Vakola bridge in Santa Cruz and the Sudhir Phadke bridge in Goregaon have been completely repaired or attended to several times in the last three years, yet huge potholes have resurfaced this monsoon.
The Keshavsoot bridge outside the Dadar west railway station is probably the most glaring instance of shoddy maintenance. The BMC has so far spent over Rs 60 lakh to fill potholes and resurface the bridge, yet it remains in a poor shape. In 2011, the civic body carried out a large-scale pothole filling exercise on the bridge. The next year, it was repaired and resurfaced. Again in 2013, the bridge was partially resurfaced. But commuters don't see much of a difference. Ajit Padwal, a Dadar (W) resident said, "It is very difficult to drive on Keshavsoot Bridge. There are huge craters over the bridge, which hinders the smooth flow of traffic. Moreover, the north-end is always a problem as the paver blocks are so uneven that two-wheelers often get stuck in them."
Vakola resident Dharmesh Vyas, a former corporator of the area, said poorly laid paver blocks were a menace on the Vakola bridge too.
On Tilak bridge, paver blocks on the approach road from Dadar TT have caved in and asphalt washed away. Incidentally, Tilak bridge was one of the 17 major bridges in the city where the BMC completed resurfacing before this monsoon, for around Rs 35 crore. Mechanised mastic technology was reportedly used to resurface the bridges to ensure potholes don't develop easily.
Activist Chetan Kothari, who sought the information under the RTI, said, "The BMC is wasting taxpayers' money without any accountability on contractors or civic officials. Bridges have been repaired and yet are developing potholes."
S O Kori, chief engineer (bridges), said though the amount spent in the last three years appears huge, most of it went towards resurfacing. He said bridges under the guarantee period will be repaired by contractors for no extra payment. "We plan to resurface the Keshavsoot, JSS and Curry Road bridges after the monsoon. Tendering has been completed and necessary approvals taken." The work will be done for around Rs 4 crore.