Traffic police personnel, residents fill up potholes in central suburbs

In Bhiwandi, construction of the Udyan Bridge has damaged the road and resulted in large potholes between Kalyan Naaka and Dhamankar Naaka

Thane: Traffic police and residents of suburbs located along the Central line have taken up the task of filling potholes by themselves after several complaints to authorities to repair the roads damaged by heavy rains fell on deaf ears.

Traffic police and residents of suburbs located along the Central line have taken up the task of filling potholes by themselves. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

In Bhiwandi, construction of the Udyan Bridge has damaged the road and resulted in large potholes between Kalyan Naaka and Dhamankar Naaka, causing traffic snarls several times a day.

“Motorists are stuck in traffic for hours during peak hours everyday trying cover a small distance. The condition is terrible during the monsoon for them as well as for us,” said a traffic police officer posted in the area. He said the problem could be alleviated easily by filling up the potholes on time, but since the concerned authorities had failed to do so, they took the onus upon themselves. “Since Sunday was a holiday and we anticipated heavy traffic, we took it upon ourselves to fill some potholes near Dhamankar Naka,” the officer said.

An officer from the Bhiwandi-Nizampura Municipal Corporation, whose jurisdiction the area falls under, said they had reported about the damaged road to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and public works department officials. “They have taken some temporary measures to fill the potholes. Proper repair work will be carried out by them later,” said the official.

Similarly, residents of the Badlapur-Shirgaon area filled up potholes after their pleas to the Badlapur Municipal Council went unheeded.

“In Shirgaon, potholes extend from the station area to various places, which result in minor accidents, especially during school hours when parents drop their children to school on two-wheelers. Since the corporation did not repair the roads, we were compelled to fill the potholes ourselves,” said Pratibha Gore, a resident of Shirgaon.