BMC grants Rs19.31cr bonus to fill potholes

Despite their shoddy job, the civic body has declared a bonus for contractors appointed to fill potholes during monsoon.

On Friday, municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar sanctioned an additional Rs19.31 crore for fixing potholes.

This comes a day after the state government directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), public works department and city's development agency to fix 6,057 potholes in the city within 48 hours or face consequences.

“The BMC has been filling potholes since Thursday as there is a dry spell. We will ensure that the work is completed on time,” said Aseem Gupta, additional municipal commissioner.

“After filling a pothole, there should be no traffic over that patch for at least 24 hours and the temperature of hot-mix should not be below 110 degree. But, in Mumbai, we can not follow the norms strictly.”

There was a huge public outcry after the BMC failed to keep its promise to keep city roads free of potholes this monsoon too.

The BMC had earmarked Rs40 crore and appointed 23 contractors for a period of two years to fix potholes before the rains arrive. Of the amount, Rs26 crore has already been spent, but the problem persists.

Moreover, in this year's civic budget, Rs19.31 crore more was allotted for road repairs.

According to the BMC, there were around 7,000 potholes, of which 5,000 have been fixed. Work on the rest is on.