Only 15% of road concretisation work completed; Chembur, Kandivali worst hit

Last week, Narkwekar wrote a letter to BMC highlighting the delay in executing CC road works and demanding actions against constrictors for the delay

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completed only 21 km (15%) of road concretisation work out of the 397 km of cement concrete (CC) roads across five zones in the city, according to the data obtained by Makarand Narwekar, former BJP corporator. The work was undertaken by the civic body last year.

The work was undertaken by the civic body last year. (Pramod Thakur/HT PHOTO)

Last week, Narkwekar wrote a letter to BMC chief Bhusan Girgani and additional municipal commissioner (projects) Abhijit Bangar, highlighting the delay in executing CC road works across the city and demanding actions against constrictors for the delay.

“Shockingly, a mere 21 kilometres of CC roads have been completed across all five zones. This does not include two zones from South Mumbai. This level of progress is wholly unacceptable, especially considering the prolonged inconvenience endured by Mumbaikars over the past year and a half due to the neglect and inefficiency in executing these vital CC road works,” said Narwekar.

Mentioning the zone-wise data of CC road works completion, Narwekar said, “In Zone III in Andheri East, a paltry 5 kilometres of road work have been completed, while Zone IV in Andheri West fares marginally better with 10 kilometres completed.”

Further progress in Zones V in Chembur, VI in Ghatkopar East, and VII in Kandivali East is abysmal, with only 2 kilometres of CC road works completed in each zone.

“Given that only 15 % of the CC road works have been completed citywide, I demand penal action against the contractors responsible for the delays. Furthermore, I urge the civic body to issue show-cause notices to these contractors, compelling them to justify why the process of blacklisting should not be initiated against them,” added Narwekar.

Narwekar said the delay in the road concretisation work would result in people experiencing bumpy rides on substandard roads during the rainy season. “Citizens expect that the BMC fulfils its duty to provide adequate road infrastructure for its taxpayers, thereby ensuring a decent quality of life in our metropolitan city,” Narwekar added.

When contacted, Abhiji Bangar, additional municipal commissioner, said that currently, the work is on hold because of the monsoon season. “As of date, CC road phase 1 work is 30% completed. We will start the work again post-monsoon. Special care would be taken to finish the rest of the work in the designated timeline.”

The city has a road network spanning 2,050 km, of which approximately 1,000 km has been concretised. Following directives from chief minister Eknath Shinde, the BMC has embarked on a project to concrete all roads, aiming to eliminate potholes. Last year, the civic body issued tenders worth ₹6,080 crore for 397 km of road concretisation and awarded contracts to five firms. However, due to delays, the BMC cancelled a ₹1,600 crore contract with Roadway Solutions India Infrastructure Ltd (RSIIL) for the 97 km of road concretisation in the island city.

The BMC has also faced criticism for the slow progress of the road concretisation work. In February, the civic body floated a tender for the concretisation of the remaining 400 km of roads for phase II this year.