BMC’s promises of filling all potholes on city roads before August 25 have proved to be hollow once again. With the deadline expiring on Sunday, there are still over 2,000 potholes that need to be attended to.
The civic body had promised Ganesh mandals that all potholes would be repaired by August, well before the beginning of Ganeshotsav that starts on September 9. However, with the civic body again falling short on its promises, it looks like the Ganesh mandals will again have a bumpy ride while transporting idols for the festival.
According to BMC’s pothole tracking system website, there are still 2,140 potholes still in need of repairs. The website says that out of the 28,830 potholes reported since the beginning of monsoon, only 26,690 have been attended to. Of that, there are 599 potholes that are reported on the roads owned by other agencies like MMRDA, PWD and MbPT.
With less than a fortnight remaining for the arrival of Ganesh idols, the civic body faces the arduous task of keeping city roads in proper shape.
“For repair work, we have given priority to the roads that the Ganesh mandals use for arrival and immersion of idols. Once that is completed, other potholes will be taken care of,” said a civic official.
However, the delay has left mandals fuming. Narendra Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella organisation of Ganesh mandals in
the city, said, “Every year, the BMC makes promises of filling potholes before the Ganesh festival and every year it fails. This year, there was enough dry spell for the civic body to repair the potholes. Due to its failure, we are left with no choice,
but to again approach the chief minister to direct the BMC to fill the potholes on an urgent basis.”