R5.5 cr spent in 2 months to fix potholes

Despite huge expenditure, potholes keep reappearing on the same stretch within a few days.

Government agencies have already spent Rs5.5 crore on repairing roads in the past two months.

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And despite this huge expenditure, potholes keep reappearing on the same stretch within a few days.

The public works department (PWD), which is responsible for the Eastern and Western Express Highways and the Sion-Panvel Highways, has already spent Rs4.88 crore o fixing potholes on these major roads.

Similarly, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), in charge of 31flyover and bridges, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which looks after Andheri-Kurla Link Road (where Metro is being built) and roads under the Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail corridor, has spent large sums on repairing roads.

According to PWD officials, the department has incurred expenses of Rs88 lakh for fixing potholes on the Eastern and Western Express Highways.

The Sion Panvel Tollways Pvt Ltd (SPTL), which is carrying out concretisation work of the SionPanvel highway, has reportedly spent about Rs4 crore to repair the road.

“We have to keep filling potholes after every few days due to heavy rains, which has increased our expenditure. We have about eight JCBs that are working round the clock to fill potholes on Sion-Panvel highway,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

The flyovers in the city are also in a bad condition. While some are under the defect liability period (maintained by contractors for first few years), 27 are maintained by the Mumbai Entry Points Ltd (MEPL), which collects toll at five entry points of the city.

An MEPL official claimed that it has spent about Rs 45 lakh to repair potholes on the flyovers in two months.

The MMRDA has reportedly spent about Rs21 lakh to fix the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road and the road under the Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail stretch.

Transport experts say authorities need to follow the recommendations they get.

“Contractors are using substandard material to earn profit, which results in bad roads,” said Sudhir Badami, an expert.