Contractors, engineers cheating BMC’s pothole-tracking system

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s new pothole-tracking system might not be as fool-proof as it wants you to think.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s new pothole-tracking system might not be as fool-proof as it wants you to think. While the civic body attempts to use technology to curb the nexus between contractors and officials, the same nexus is trying to break the system. As a result, the potholes that you report, which should ideally get filled in 24 hours if it doesn’t rain and 48 hours if it does, remain unrepaired for days on end.

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An internal civic report has shown that officials are deliberately assigning potholes reported through the system to the wrong departments, thereby ensuring that contractors can circumvent the strict deadlines set to get them filled.

Engineers from the roads department alone have reported potholes wrongly at least 91 times, according to the report. While the figure for ward engineers isn’t known yet, conservative insider estimates said that it is much higher.

A civic official, who did not wish to be named, said: “We have been very strict in ensuring contractors fill potholes on time. But some engineers wrongly assign the pothole to a different department. The department, in turn, clarifies it isn’t their responsibility, after which the pothole is re-assigned to the correct engineer.” “This allows contractors to avoid paying fines in spite of a delay in filling up the pothole. However, there have been some genuine mistakes while assigning potholes as well,” he added.

Additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta said: “We have taken note of this and also warned engineers. We will keep a close watch on them and take action accordingly.”