Despite complaints, BMC to use cold mix for potholes again
Even as thousands of potholes resurfaces during the monsoons last year, the civic body has has shortlisted Jet patch and Kandhal mix, which are similar to the cold mix technology introduced last year, to repair potholes for this year’s monsoon.
Even as thousands of potholes resurfaces during the monsoons last year, the civic body has has shortlisted Jet patch and Kandhal mix, which are similar to the cold mix technology introduced last year, to repair potholes for this year’s monsoon.
The cold mix technology to fill potholes had been introduced by the civic body last year to replace the conventional hot mix technology which could not prevent filled potholes from being washed away by the rain.
Last year, the BMC had received proposals from six cold mix technology firms.
“We had given work orders worth Rs.10 lakh to all the firms to conduct trials of their technologies. After the tests were reviewed, we decided to use more technologies this year,” said Aseem Gupta, additional municipal commissioner.
Gupta added that tenders would be invited soon to put these technologies to use.
However, the civic body’s move has been questioned by many as no technical audit of repaired potholes was conducted even after it was promised.
The audit was announced after criticism from members of the civic standing committee that the new technology was ineffective. Around 20,000 potholes had been reported during the monsoon last year.
“The new technologies have certainly not made any difference and were a total failure as potholes continued to resurface on roads. There have been so many instances when the potholes and even craters were filled with debris and paver blocks,” said Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party group leader, who is in the opposition.
In another significant move to fast track pothole repair, supervision of filling of potholes that are formed on roads less than 30 feet wide – internal roads – would be handed over to ward officials.
“Until last year, ward-level engineers would supervise pothole repair work. This decentralised system ensured that work was carried out with better efficiency,” said a senior civic official.