BMC fills each pothole ‘at least eight times a month,’ say Mumbai police

Police said the BMC responds to their pothole-related complaints within three hours, but the material used to fill them up gets washed away when it rains

MUMBAI: Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims to be on a war footing and spending hundreds of crores of rupees on filling potholes, the results aren’t quite showing, according to motorists and traffic police officials. While the civic body is quick to respond to pothole-related complaints, the fill-up job sometimes lasts just a few hours, they said.

Mumbai, India. July, 15, 2024: Several potholes on SV Road at Lucky junction in Bandra west in Mumbai. July 15, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Traffic police officials told HT that the BMC responds to their pothole-related complaints within three hours, but the material used to fill them up gets washed away when it rains again. “In a month, the BMC fills one pothole at least eight times,” said a senior traffic police official.

According to the BMC’s data, there were at least 59,533 potholes in the city in 2023. Ahead of this year’s monsoon, the civic body had earmarked ₹275 crore to be spent on filling potholes, according to reports. After the July 8 deluge, which saw Mumbai receiving over 300mm of rain within six hours and subsequent flooding in low-lying areas, the BMC had directed engineers in each of its 227 wards to take proactive measures in identifying and repairing potholes.

Despite this, advocate Trivankumar Karnani, founder of Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), a citizen welfare forum, said he receives several complaints every day about potholes throughout the city, especially in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Khar, and Bandra on SV road and on the Western Express Highway at Borivali and Kandivali.

“These potholes are causing traffic jams and widespread chaos, as well as endangering the lives and property of citizens, which directly violates their fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution,” said Karnani. “The contractors responsible for the roads with these potholes must be held accountable. It is imperative to verify whether the defect liability period is still in effect and to initiate criminal action accordingly.”

Mushtaq Ansari, founder of the nonprofit PotholeWarriors, said he’s received 10 to 12 complaints daily since heavy rain started this month. Ansari, in turn, tags the civic body on X, formerly Twitter, to act, or his team fills potholes with debris to reduce their depth.

“Not only are they dangerous and can cause accidents, but they also damage vehicles, mostly bikes and autorickshaws,” said Ansari. “I have received many people complaining that their tyres and suspension got damaged, increasing maintenance costs during the monsoon. Although the number of potholes has significantly reduced in the last three years as roads are being concretised, many new potholes keep popping on main roads as the monsoon progresses.”

The Mumbai Traffic Police, which have taken it upon themselves to fill up some of the potholes over the last couple of years, have also observed potholes in several areas this year, causing traffic jams. Anil Kumbhare, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), described it as a chronic problem, as manning traffic while motorists dodge the pockmarked stretches becomes difficult. “Due to potholes, we are forced to divert vehicular movement, place barricades and stop signs to avoid accidents and deaths, which causes traffic jams,” he said.

Traffic police officers click pictures of the potholes and inform the BMC. “This year, the BMC has a three-hour response time. As soon they get the photo and location of the pothole, they reach the spot and fill the potholes. We are working with the BMC daily to fill potholes and ensure smooth and safe travel,” said Kumbhare.

A BMC official from the roads department said that everyone, including the municipal commissioner and additional municipal commissioners, are on high alert. “The minute we spot a pothole or receive a complaint, it is filled within 24 hours, as soon as we get a break from the rain. The mastic then takes around two hours to set, and it stays put.”

According to additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar, the BMC has awarded two tenders for each of the seven zones in the city – one for roads with a width of under 9 meters and the other for roads over 9 metres wide. Separate contracts have been awarded for the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway and their service roads. In total, the BMC has spent around ₹500 crore on the contracts, he said.

Bangar said that the potholes seen in the city right now are a result of the heavy rainfall in the last week. “We are focusing on filling the potholes within 24 hours. A sub-engineer has been appointed for each of the 227 electoral wards with 10-15 km under them, which they can survey within two days. They are forwarded complaints received on WhatsApp, the BMC’s app and Twitter,” said Bangar.

The sub-engineer informs the contractor to fill the potholes. If it isn’t done within 24 hours, they have been given the authority to get it filled by another contractor, and charging and fining the designated contractor for it, he added.

Bangar admitted he had noticed massive potholes in Jogeshwari and on the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road, which could have occurred due to action not being taken on time. “We will be sending the sub-engineers a show cause notice regarding them. At Jogeshwari junction, it is likely to be under the BMC’s jurisdiction, and we will hold the sub-engineer accountable, but on JVLR I have been told it is the MMRDA’s jurisdiction.”

In parts of the city that come under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, and the Public Works Department, the BMC informs them to fill the potholes. “If they don’t do it in time, we fill them ourselves,” said Bangar.

“Mumbai is faring much better than the previous year and other places neighbouring the city,” he added.