NAVI MUMBAI: It is well-known that
potholes
are “money drainers,” especially during the monsoon season. Recently, a city-based RTI activist highlighted how nearly Rs 3 crore of public funds have been wasted on asphalting the
road
stretch from
Dmart
to Haware Mall Junction in Nerul (East). Despite the recent repairs, numerous potholes have appeared on this site.
Activist
Anarjit Chauhan
told TOI, “This particular road stretch in Nerul (East) was repaired with a new asphalt layer just two months ago, in May 2024.
This work, done under two civic work orders granted by
NMMC
to a single contractor, cost nearly Rs 3 crore. It is shocking that this road has been badly damaged with the appearance of potholes now. Motorists are having a tough time driving on this stretch.”
Chauhan further added, “I have asked the NMMC city engineer, Shirish Aradwad, to take firm action against this contractor and the junior civic engineers involved, as public money has been wasted on this important road link of Nerul node. The civic vendor should be blacklisted, and an inquiry should be initiated.”
NMMC CE Aradwad said that he is looking into the issue and that payments to the contractor will be stopped for the time being.
Chauhan continued, “NMMC can easily set an example by taking a firm stand on this matter and showing zero tolerance for potholes. The Indian Roads Congress rules 82 and 83 meticulously detail how concrete and asphalt roads must be maintained and repaired. The PWD notification of 2017 also stipulates that asphalt roads must have a life guarantee of 15 years, while concrete roads should last at least 25 years. Therefore, if potholes start appearing so quickly on repaired roads, it points to poor civic works and possible corruption.”
The RTI activist also said that the local municipal executive engineer (EE) must be held accountable, as the EE is responsible for issuing the final approval once the contractor completes the road asphalting.
“This means that either the EE is ignorant about the quality of the repaired road, or he or she is intentionally ignoring the poor quality of work done. Either way, this calls for a serious inquiry since taxpayers’ money is involved,” said Chauhan.