Potholes Plague Mulund!
Potholes and Mumbai are synonymous but, alas, BMC is indifferent to such criticisms. What is agonizing is that all their lives Mumbaikars walk on roads infested with potholes and when they bid adieu from this world, they still have to walk (though on the shoulders of four pall-bearers) on the pothole-ridden road towards Shamshan Bhoomi! If you do not trust, check out the roads plagued with potholes in Mulund East as well as in Mulund West, both leading towards Shamshan Bhoomi!!!
This week, Home Times takes a long and hard look at the pothole-ridden roads in Mulund that were made before monsoon, but one heavy shower has ruined and devastated them, thus exposing the shoddy work of the BMC and its corrupt contractors!!
Each year, before the start of monsoon, BMC conducts a Monsoon Preparedness Action Plan under which worn out roads are repaired, potholes are filled and drains and gutters are cleaned to prevent flooding and other calamities in Mumbai. BMC spent a whopping Rs. 100cr for the year 2019-20. Regrettably, despite tall claims and spending such a huge amount of money, Mumbai was flooded bringing this megapolis to a standstill. Worst, the several roads that were made just before the monsoon were also wrecked by the torrential rain, thus ripping apart the BMC’s inferior quality of work and the large-scale corruption between BMC and its fraudulent contractors!
Home Times, in its reality check, found several potholes on the important Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, popularly known as LBS Marg. It is one of the most congested roads in Mumbai. Though the entire road is made of concrete, regrettably, the road is ill-maintained. As a result, at many places, one can notice ugly patches of paver blocks, tar and a combination of cement-concrete which clearly exposes the shoddy work of the BMC Road and Maintenance Department.
What is shameful is that BMC has not even followed the orders of the Bombay High Court which has categorically ordered not to use paver blocks on roads. It has been observed that during monsoons, paver blocks dislocate easily and this results in vehicle owners losing balance and causing accidents. Thus, the Bombay High Court has strictly ordered to remove all paver blocks but, alas, BMC has ignored the High Court’s diktat and is replacing old paver blocks with new paver blocks. Shocking, indeed!
Secondly, the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in Mulund East is plagued with so many potholes that driving on the highway is a nightmare for motorists. The potholes near Navghar Road are so horrible that many bikers have skidded and some have even lost their precious lives.
The other roads in Mulund East that are plagued by potholes include Tata Colony Road. What is smarting is that even the road leading to Shamshan Bhoomi in Mulund East is in shambles. Lamenting at the shoddy work of the BMC, an angry Mulundkar said, “The road leading to Shamshan Bhoomi was renovated before monsoon, but the work done by the contractor was so inferior that one single monsoon shower has ruined it. This depicts how substandard material is being used by BMC contractors in the name of development.”
Shailesh Pawar, a Mulundkar disappointed by the poor quality of roads in Mulund, told Home Times, “The potholes on the road are most life-threatening to two-wheeler riders. Who can forget the tragic death of Dr. Prakash Vaze, the prominent doctor who died two years back on the Eastern Express Highway after his bike skidded on hitting a pothole?” He added, “After the death of Dr. Vaze many more people have lost their lives in Mulund due to potholes, but the callous BMC has no sentiments for human life.” He suggested, “Until and unless the BMC officials and contractors are held accountable for the death of people dying due to pothole tragedies, the BMC will never learn a lesson.”
Lists of roads plagued by potholes in Mulund
LBS Marg
Eastern Express Highway
Tata Colony (Mulund East)
Roads leading to Shamshan Bhoomi in Mulund East and West
M.G. Road in Mulund West
Dumping Road in Mulund West
