Fill potholes well before asking us to stop: Citizens tell BMC

Twitter users took potshots at the civic body, with many claiming the civic body itself was guilty of doing a shoddy job when filling potholes. The BMC’s road department is under pressure from municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi over the increasing number of unattended pothole complaints.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) appeal to citizens to avoid filling potholes by themselves, saying this was illegal, has enraged many residents. Twitter users took potshots at the civic body, with many claiming the civic body itself was guilty of doing a shoddy job when filling potholes. The BMC’s road department is under pressure from municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi over the increasing number of unattended pothole complaints being reported on social media.

This monsoon, the BMC has received 2,648 complaints relating to potholes from June 10 to August 7, according to the BMC. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

On Saturday, the BMC’s road department had tweeted, “Dear Mumbaikars, Always approach @mybmc to fix the potholes. It is the legal and correct way. Avoid filling any potholes on your own using debris. Using incorrect methods may lead to accidents. It is illegal.”

The tweet earned several critics. A Twitter user, Ranjeet Singh, was quick to respond, saying, “Incorrect measures are used by BMC itself.” Upendra Gokhale, another user, wrote, “If the BMC can keep a check on the quality of repairs, and if correct procedure is being followed by the contractor no one would do this. But then I will not do my work, and will point out mistakes in what others do.”

Meanwhile, an engineer from the BMC’s road department said, “It is not advisable for one to fill potholes with debris. Who will take responsibility if accident takes place due to filling potholes with debris? For now, we have only given public notice but are not considering registering police complaint as it might turn into public outrage.”

This monsoon, the BMC has received 2,648 complaints relating to potholes from June 10 to August 7, according to the BMC.

Irfan Machiwala, who along with other citizens voluntarily fills potholes in the city, said they would stop now. Machiwala said, “Considering BMC has brought it to our notice, we will not take law in our hands but expect BMC to attend potholes within a time limit, and also ensure they are filled with quality material.”