Mumbai braces for the monsoon, fresh digging of roads in the densely populated Dongri-Mazgaon locality has reignited public anger and raised uncomfortable questions about civic preparedness and accountability.
With only two weeks left before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) self-imposed deadline of May 31 to complete all ongoing road works, the launch of new road concretisation activities in Dongri flies in the face of its own directives, triggering a wave of criticism from local residents and urban governance observers alike. A patch of road near the Noor Baug area in Dongri, a neighbourhood already constrained by narrow lanes and high population density, has recently been dug up for cement concretisation. What is fuelling public discontent is not just the timing, but the apparent disregard for the BMC’s prior announcement instructing contractors not to initiate any fresh projects during this critical pre-monsoon window. For a city that annually suffers under the weight of waterlogged and traffic-choked streets during monsoon season, such unplanned activity feels more like a civic betrayal than routine public works.
Voices from within the neighbourhood have expressed disbelief over the sudden commencement of work, especially when the road in question leads to a dead end and lacks apparent urgency for repair. Local residents argue that the new excavation not only violates the municipal administration’s own rules but also sets the stage for hazardous conditions during heavy rainfall. According to officials overseeing the civic road infrastructure programme, the BMC has undertaken an ambitious project to convert 2,121 roads into cement concrete stretches in two broad phases—an effort amounting to around 700 kilometres across the city. As of May 5, only 353 roads had been fully completed, with work still underway on a staggering 1,768 roads. This statistic underscores the enormity of the task and exposes how far the administration remains from fulfilling its goal within the stipulated timeframe.
A senior municipal official responsible for infrastructure projects earlier acknowledged that unfinished road work could exacerbate monsoon-related problems. He emphasised that roadworks left incomplete would lead to serious hazards and that the city’s top priority must be to either finish ongoing works or ensure roads are usable junction to junction. Hence, the decision to prohibit the initiation of any fresh work post-April was expected to be a non-negotiable part of the civic strategy. However, the situation on the ground in Dongri appears to contradict this directive. In an era where sustainable urban planning and climate resilience are no longer optional but essential, such lapses in coordination raise significant concerns. Unplanned infrastructure work not only weakens public trust but also threatens to undo any progress made in building a more liveable and eco-conscious city. When public infrastructure projects, especially those related to roads and drainage, are poorly timed, they often result in avoidable flooding, traffic congestion, and even accidents.
Urban planning experts have flagged another pressing issue: the acute shortage of trained personnel to monitor and oversee these critical projects. In certain municipal wards, a single junior engineer is reportedly tasked with supervising nearly 19 separate roadworks. This glaring gap in manpower hints at deeper structural inefficiencies within the civic machinery and weakens the ability to ensure quality, timely completion, and accountability. Questions are also being raised over the civic body’s mechanisms for contractor compliance. Despite clear directives, some contractors continue initiating fresh roadworks without punitive consequences. This suggests not only a breakdown in communication but also a lack of enforcement, both of which erode public confidence in governance.
The broader context is equally troubling. Mumbai’s monsoon has grown increasingly intense in recent years due to changing climate patterns. In this light, ensuring monsoon preparedness is not just about convenience—it is a matter of public safety. Roads left dug up or half-finished quickly become dangerous traps for pedestrians and motorists alike once water levels rise. Moreover, such negligence undermines sustainability goals by increasing repair costs, resource wastage, and greenhouse gas emissions due to frequent reworks and prolonged construction activity. What’s more concerning is that the civic administration has already accepted the possibility that some works will inevitably carry over into the next working season, post-monsoon. This admission points to a systemic delay in planning and execution, calling for a reassessment of how infrastructure timelines are set and enforced in the city.
From a zero-net carbon and equitable city development standpoint, roadwork scheduling should be guided not by convenience but by robust seasonal data, climate forecasts, and active citizen participation. Cities striving for sustainable growth cannot afford to treat civic deadlines as moving targets. Rather, they must adopt practices that align with long-term climate resilience, including weather-adaptive construction schedules, stringent monitoring frameworks, and greater transparency in contractor performance. Moreover, there is a compelling need for decentralised civic management and stronger citizen-government interfaces, particularly in wards facing dense populations and infrastructure bottlenecks. Citizens have a right to demand both transparency and timely updates on works affecting their daily lives. Civic officials, in turn, must uphold this contract with measurable accountability.
As Mumbai prepares to face yet another unpredictable monsoon season, the premature road digging in Dongri stands as a cautionary tale—a signal of the disconnect that can arise when top-down planning fails to align with on-the-ground realities. If left unchecked, such missteps could severely undercut the city’s efforts to become a more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally conscious metropolis. In a city that deserves infrastructure built not just for functionality but also for future sustainability, actions speak louder than deadlines. With the May 31 date looming large, the onus is now squarely on the municipal administration to hold its contractors accountable and deliver not just completed roads—but also the public trust.
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BMC Under Fire for Fres
Fresh road digging in Dongri days before BMC’s May 31 deadline draws public criticism over poor planning and civic accountability before monsoon.
