In 3.5 yrs, NMC spent Rs21.6 cr on potholes

Times of India: Nagpur: Sunday, August 27, 2017.

The cash-strapped Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has spent a whopping Rs21.60 crore in the last three-and-a-half years to fix 48,217 potholes that seem to resurface every monsoon.

It has spent Rs14.45 crore to fix 12,139 potholes through jetpatching machines from January 2014 to June 2017. Also, it has spent Rs7.15 crore for repairing 36,078 potholes through hotmix department plant during the same period.

Experts and civic activists blamed the civic administration for substandard quality works and craters surfacing frequently on city roads.

Every year, the civic body sets aside funds under the category of road repair, which includes patchwork and strengthening of roads using tar. Since the 2014-215 fiscal, around 50% of the funds from road repair work are spent to fix potholes, but by using gravel and not following methods prescribed by the state public works department.

Replying to an RTI query of activist Abhay Kolarkar, NMC's hotmix department stated that from the 2014-2015 financial year till the current fiscal, NMC has earmarked Rs53 crore and spent around Rs21.60 crore for repairing potholes. Through its plant, the hotmix department repaired 36,078 potholes by spending Rs5.15 crore, while 12,139 potholes were repaired through jetpatcher for which the civic body spent Rs14.45 crore.

NMC officials said since the city witnesses heavy showers during monsoon, road conditions deteriorate every year. However, experts flayed the department and said that even as there was very less rainfall this year, many roads have developed potholes.

Experts said that most factors, including the type of soil, temperature, rainfall, traffic situations and other environmental issues are not taken into consideration while roads are laid in the city. Even the Indian Road Congress's guidelines were ignored while repairing potholes, they said.

Potholes on roads in areas like Cotton Market road, inner roads in Jaripatka, few patches of West High Court Road etc cause major problems for local residents. Even the roads where the NMC carried out pothole repair works become uneven with motorists experiencing a bumpy ride.

"Craters on most roads in East Nagpur that were recently repaired have been washed off. The civic administration is not using quality material for the work and thereby wasting public money," said independent corporator Abha Pande. She gave an example of a patch from Lalganj Raut Chowk till Kumbhare Pura, which was repaired before monsoon but is in bad shape again.

NCP corporator Duneshwar Pethe said the quality of road construction is not properly monitored by the civic administration, which leads to poor quality work, another major reason for potholes resurfacing every monsoon.

"According to standards set by the Indian Road Congress, areas with heavy to moderate rainfall should have roads made of concrete or bitumen. The width of the roads is not properly maintained across the stretch, leading to unevenness in levels. This leads to waterlogging, thus resulting into development of potholes," he said.