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.