Fix all potholes: Mumbai Traffic cops tell BMC

With the arrival of monsoon in the city, issues like disruptive railway traffic, short circuits, electrocution, power failure, road accidents, treefalls, fire and landslides will continue to haunt the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Apart from all these problems, another ever-existing menace of potholes is also expected to be in news for a while and then disappear.

However, while taking serious cognizance of the potholes problems and also in order to bring down the number of incidents happening because of potholes, the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) has conducted a survey across the city and have sent a list of the soft spots to the civic body. The concerned authorities from the BMC have been asked to deploy their manpower at these spots and fill the potholes so that there is no inconvenience to the commuters, especially during monsoon.

Speaking to DNA, a senior traffic police officer said, "Every time, pothole-related issues are taken casually and no work in done in this direction which adds more chaos to the traffic administration of the city. Many bridges of the city have been closed by the civic officials declaring them unsafe so because of that, the traffic has been diverted. Also, the traffic is diverted from over 145 places because of monsoon and officials from all 34 traffic divisions are deployed to handle congestion and at some places, the situation is more challenging because of metro construction. So after a detailed survey in the suburbs and in the city, a list of soft spots have been submitted at the BMC headquarters asking them to plug road pits at the earliest,"

According to the MTP officials, some of the most common areas facing pothole issues annually are Kandivali east, Malad, Borivali, Vile Parle, Trombay, Mulund and Kurla. These spots are visible but untouched by the civic authorities, said a police officer.

Mushtaq Ansari, volunteer of Pothole Warriors, an organisation which deals with countering the menace of unsafe roads said, "We have filled more than 280 potholes in the city and now we see that the problem is still evident. The authorities only fix paver blocks and finish the task. The helpline numbers are not fully effective. The PWD department, the BMC and the MMRDA should realize the gravity of the situation and act upon it,"

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