The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has established a stringent 240-day deadline for the completion of Phase 1 of its extensive road concretisation project. Spanning from October 1, 2024, to May 31, 2025, this ambitious timeline aims to address significant road maintenance issues across Mumbai’s suburbs.
Initiated in January 2023, the project has thus far achieved only 30% of its intended progress. The first phase encompasses 397 kilometres of roadworks, while the subsequent phase will cover an additional 309 kilometres. This undertaking is part of the BMC’s INR 6,000 crore road concretisation initiative, which was launched under the auspices of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in 2022. A review meeting led by Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar on September 3 highlighted the standard timeframe for constructing cement concrete roads, which typically ranges between 30 to 45 days.
This duration includes excavation, construction, and the reinstatement of traffic flow. To ensure adherence to this timeline, the BMC has instructed road engineers to compile a comprehensive list of roads for concretisation and establish a monthly schedule to monitor progress. The project faces several challenges, including the relocation of underground utilities and the acquisition of no-objection certificates from traffic authorities. Addressing these hurdles is crucial to maintaining the project’s pace.
In a bid to uphold quality standards, the BMC will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B). This collaboration will involve IIT-B supervising the project’s quality through concurrent audits, inspections of Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) facilities, and core testing. This oversight aims to ensure that the cement concretisation work meets high standards throughout its execution. This road concretisation initiative is a critical component of the BMC’s strategy to mitigate Mumbai’s pervasive pothole problem. The contracts awarded for Phase 1, amounting to INR 6,080 crore, represent the largest civic agreements to date. A similar budget of INR 6,000 crore is allocated for Phase 2.
However, the BMC previously cancelled an INR 1,600 crore contract with Roadways Solution Infra India Limited (RSIIL) for road construction in the island city due to unspecified issues. The contract has been re-bid, and a new contractor is poised to commence work on October 1, 2024. This decision underscores the BMC’s commitment to ensuring the project’s successful and timely completion.
