In its 17-year ruling history, the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC has never been so perplexed on the pothole menace as it has been this year.
The BMC has been facing tremendous flak for the poor quality of roads in the city. Pockmarked roads all over the city have left party leaders scurrying for cover with party chief Uddhav Thackeray himself expr-essing regret over the poor condition of roads in the city.
In an unprecedented move, Mr Thackeray openly apologised to Mumbaikars for the pockmarked roads and vowed to repair them as soon as the rainfall decreases. “I would really like to apologise for the inconvenience that people are facing,” he
said.
Incidentally, he himself came onto the roads and took a nocturnal tour of the city to examine the pothole-filling exercise.
Mr Thackeray’s son Aditya, who is the chief of Yuva Sena, Shiv Sena’s youth wing, also reached out to Mumbaikars.
“Normally, the custom with politicians is to run away or be silent during such issues. But here I am with you, as I face the same problems as you do,” he said on his social network profile, while speaking on the issue.
Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale also tendered his resignation and took moral responsibility for the failure of the BMC to repair potholes. While the party leadership turned down his plea, the move indicated the growing uneasiness in the Shiv Sena over its failure to tackle the problem.