BMC fines contractor ₹1 lakh a day for neglecting Mumbai’s Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road

The civic body, which usually fines Rs5,000 a day for shoddy work, said other road contractors may face similar action.

The BMC has decided to levy a daily fine of Rs1 lakh on a contractor from Tuesday for allegedly neglecting maintenance of a 200-metre stretch on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR).

The BMC inspected GMLR before the monsoon and found a 200-metre patch was in bad condition, but it has not yet been fixed. (HT File Photo)

The BMC normally fines Rs5,000 daily for shoddy work. But in the GMLR case, the contract is silent on the penalty amount, which has paved the way for the BMC to levy Rs1 lakh daily on BPSC Private Limited and Vishal infra. Besides, the BMC believes that the heavy fine will set a precedent for other contractors.

The BMC warned on Tuesday that other road contractors may also face similar fate.

Additional municipal commissioner Vijay Singhal said, “If contractors do not buck up, the next step after Tuesday’s warning will be a show-cause notice. They will have to explain why they should not be blacklisted.”

An official said, “Following this, the BMC notified the contractor BPSC Private Limited and Vishal infra to carry out maintenance work before the monsoon. Despite the first warning, the contractor failed to carry out repairs.”

Bhausaheb Sangle who owns BPSCPL, said, “We are taking care of the road and repairing it as and when the need arises. If there are any complaints, we will make sure it is taken care of quickly.”

GMLR is a project road. According to the rules of the contract, it is the contractor’s responsibility to maintain the road until work is complete.