Civic body finds no takers to fill potholes on South Mumbai rds

Big-ticket road contractors, vying to repair the city’s potholes before and during the monsoons, are staying clear of the island city.

Big-ticket road contractors, vying to repair the city’s potholes before and during the monsoons, are staying clear of the island city.

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Fearing heightened monitoring and strict supervision, since they feel most areas in South Mumbai are dotted with residences of VIPs, contractors have refused to bid for these works. Privately, they blame the stringent tender conditions for the lack of enthusiasm. The island city, divided into two zones, has got just one bid. Interestingly, for the remaining five zones in the city, the BMC received 25 bids.

As a result, the civic body has now decided to call for re-tendering in the island city. This is the first time ever that the BMC has introduced modern technologies to fill the city’s potholes, and the reluctance of the contractors comes as a huge setback. “It looks like the technology providers didn’t have enough materials for the entire city, and hence, must have decided to not bid,” said additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta.