Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, stated on Tuesday that his administration has given infrastructure improvement in Mumbai top priority and plans to have the city free of potholes in two years.
“The state government has accelerated Mumbai’s infrastructure development, beginning with the beautifying of the city and the redevelopment of old, decaying structures and koliwadas. The state government is concentrating on giving Mumbai a total makeover,” Shinde remarked in a televised interview.
As cement concrete (CC) roads were being built, Shinde reiterated that Mumbai would be free of potholes in two years.
Shinde’s speech follows criticism of the CC road project from BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) politicians. The BMC fined three of the five new companies that were awarded CC contracts Rs 16 crore because they failed to begin work. “We have started 500 beautification projects, and we will identify another 800-1000 spots,” he continued.
Work on Cement Road Completion
In a presentation at the meeting, Iqbal Singh Chahal, Municipal Commissioner for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), explained that Mumbai’s cement concreting work was being carried out in stages.
“The Mumbai Municipal Corporation area’s approximately 989.84 km of roads have already been finished with cement concreting in time.
To enhance the remaining roadways, concrete pouring of cement has been accelerated. Because there are fewer potholes on cement-concrete roads due to rain, maintenance costs are lower, according to Iqbal Singh Chahal
“Cement concreting work for 236.58 miles of roads is underway in 2023–2024, costing Rs 2,200 crores. This year, the construction of a further 400 km of road has also been suggested. The remaining 423.51 km of roads will likewise be concreted by the local government in 2023–2024, according to a BMC commissioner.
For the administration to directly monitor these roads, CCTV cameras installed on the roads will also be connected to the Municipal Corporation’s emergency control room and the offices of the Chief Engineer and Deputy Chief Engineer (Roads).