Traffic police show BMC the pothole-free way

Fed up by the constant jibes by commuters about the potholes, the traffic police decided to wield the spade instead of their batons.

Fed up by the constant jibes by commuters about the potholes, the traffic police decided to wield the spade instead of their batons.

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On Thursday, the traffic police officers were seen helping the civic authorities to repair and fill potholes on the Dadar flyover.

The traffic police officers said they are the ones who have to hear the commuters complaining and whining about bad roads.

So they decided to lend a helping hand to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and make the roads smoother and pothole-free.

"It is not our duty to fill potholes but we did this to help the BMC and make the travel comfortable for commuters so that we do not have to hear them complaint," said Police Inspector S. Pawar, posted at the traffic chowkie near Dadar (West) station.

Pawar was among the traffic police officers filling the potholes on the Dadar flyover

on Tulsi Pipe Road on Thursday.

"We were posted on the flyover when they spotted a dumper carrying mud and requested the driver to pour some mud on the potholes. The driver agreed and filled the potholes with mud. We just levelled the potholes," said Pawar.

When asked why did they not inform the BMC and themselves filled the potholes, Pawar said they did this to help the BMC and as a gesture towards the commuters.

The municipal corporation officers said that the potholes on the stretch had been filled 20 days ago but the heavy rain in the past two days had washed away the refill.

The BMC officials said they were waiting for a dry spell to repair the potholes but before that the traffic police did the job as a good will gesture.

The BMC said that as of now there are only 299 potholes in the city.

The civic authority has sanctioned Rs 60 crore for filling the potholes across the city of which Rs 38 crore has already been distributed among 24 wards.