TRACKING THE MONSOON Road caves in, a sign of what lies ahead?

Even before the monsoon has hit the city in full force, reports have started pouring in of road surfaces giving way. Towards Monday evening, a portion of the concrete Village Road near Santoshimata Temple, Bhandup, caved in. While the municipality called the incident "minor", it brings to the fore the issue of frequent damage roads suffer during the rainy season. 

    Experts suggest that the BMC's roads department should conduct frequent checks to assess the condition of roads, including that of surrounding infrastructure like drainage. The Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) has already made the recommendation that the BMC should assess the condition of roads regularly. 
    One of the main reasons for roads caving in is seepage of water, which weakens the base. "Drains running parallel to a road should be checked to deem the road fit," said STAC chairman N V Merani. Ramakant Biradar, assistant municipal commissioner of S ward, told TOI, "Monday's incident is minor. The road caved in because of (bad work by the) sewerage department." 
    Like every year, this year, too, complaints of bad roads are doing the rounds. During the monsoon, motorists are forced to bear the brunt of the civic body's shoddy work. "Roads always kill the joy of the monsoon. There is no fun when you are trapped in your car trying to navigate through traffic and bumpy roads. The first question my customers ask me is if the car will be able to bear the brunt of bad roads," said Rupesh Jain, a manager of an automobile showroom on Andheri Link Road. 
    Roads in the upscale locality of Lokhandwala in Andheri (West), which is home to TV stars, is dotted by both designer boutiques and potholes. Two days of moderate rain were enough to produce numerous depressions and potholes. The faults are bound to create massive traffic jams, say motorists. Sham Divedi, a Lokhandwala resident, said, "During peak hours, it will take me on an average 45 minutes to cover a distance of 1.5km (from the Indian Oil junction to Infinity Mall). If I walk, it would take me only 10 minutes to cover the same distance." 
    The BMC's race against the monsoon deadline for roadwork has resulted in low-quality work, say residents. Many minor roads were resurfaced using paver blocks, but because of shoddiness, depressions have formed on most of those roads.

Tree branches and debris near Santoshimata Temple on Village Road, Bhandup, to cover a spot that caved in on Monday