MUMBAI: With the monsoon set to arrive in Mumbai by the end of this week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that only 25% of the city’s road concretisation works have been completed.
The focus so far has been on the eastern and western suburbs, with work in the island city yet to commence. This road upgrade project follows Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s August 2022 announcement, aiming to make Mumbai pothole-free by concretising all existing roads. The BMC subsequently floated a Rs 6,000 crore tender to concretise 397 km of roads in the city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the project with a bhoomi poojan ceremony at a rally in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in January 2023.
According to a senior BMC official, “Approximately 25% of the concretisation work in the eastern and western suburbs has been completed. Work in the island city has yet to begin.”
Currently, no new roads are being excavated due to the impending monsoon. The BMC has set a deadline to ensure all dug-up roads are motorable by June 7, ahead of the monsoon’s total landfall.
The road work delay in the island city was attributed to issues with the previous contractor, leading to the scrapping of the initial tender. A new tender has been floated, and civic officials reported on Monday that bids have been submitted, with negotiations for awarding the contract currently underway.
Mumbai’s road network spans approximately 2,000 km, of which around 1,000 km have already been concretised. The BMC’s Rs 6,000 crore programme aims to complete the remaining road network over a two-year period.
The timely completion of this project is crucial for Mumbai’s infrastructure, particularly in light of the monsoon, which often exacerbates the city’s notorious pothole problem. The initiative is expected to significantly improve road conditions and traffic flow, enhancing the overall commuting experience for Mumbai’s residents.
The BMC’s efforts in the suburbs are a positive step, but the forthcoming monsoon underscores the urgency of extending these works to the island city. The completion of the ongoing site surveys and the awarding of the new tender will be critical in maintaining the project’s momentum and ensuring that the island city’s roads are upgraded without further delay.
