PWD wakes up to Mumbai Aarey Road’s pitfalls

Just days after DNA exposed the poor maintenance of the 7.6km-long Aarey Road despite the collection of toll of lakhs of rupees every day, the Aarey administration has set a deadline of November 30 for the public works department (PWD) to complete road repairs.

And to convince that it means business, the Aarey administration has stopped toll collection till the works of the stretch from the VIP Guest House to the Powai check-post are complete.

On November 9, DNA had reported that the road contractor has been making about Rs4 crore each  month, even though the three-year contract — ending in January — was for Rs15 crore.

Around 29,595 vehicles ply on this road every day.

"The road repair work is being carried out on the main road for the last eight to 10 days by the PWD," said a resident of the area, on the condition of anonymity.

The residents are pleased with the move of stopping toll collection till the works are done.

"The road repair work will be completed in the next few days. We are filling up potholes and laying asphalt wherever necessary," said a PWD official.

He claimed that almost 80% of the work is complete.

"We have instructed the PWD to speed up its road repair work and complete it till November 30," said PK Rajput, chief executive officer of the Aarey Milk Colony.

Political parties had left no stone unturned to milk the issue since the report. With an eye on the BMC elections, to be held in February, the Shiv Sena, the BJP, the Congress and the Republican Party of India (A) jumped on the protest bandwagon to score brownie points. 

The Aarey administration quickly reacted to the Sena-BJP protest by putting an end to toll collection.

"Why did the political parties not pay any attention to the road in the last five years? They are protesting simply to woo voters for the upcoming civic elections," thundered an angry resident.

Shiv Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar, who had led the protest, said, "The Aarey dairy commissioner has given us in writing that the toll will be collected after the road repair work is done and has sought five days' time for it."

When asked why the party was silent on the issue in the last five years, he clarified, "I have raised the issue on the floor of the house many times. I had staged a protest even last year to bring this issue to the notice of the authorities concerned, but little action was taken."