COUNTDOWN TO MONSOON Residents From Bandra And Andheri Blame BMC

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) shoddy job with paver blocks has not only dotted Mumbai's streets with depressions and bumps, but has also jammed many drains, according to experts and residents.      TOI visited two spots in the western suburbs, where residents pointed out several problems: Andheri link road and Bandra's Hill Road.      Many Andheri residents complained that the BMC was not diligent when it comes to laying paver blocks. Patrick Fleury a retired quality control engineer, said, "The BMC does not have a system to control the quality of work. After the blocks are laid, they must ensure that excess cement and other material is removed from the site. But this never happens, and during the monsoon, the sand and cement is washed into drains, thus clogging them."      Light rainfall in the past few days was enough to fill depressions along the road with water, and residents claimed that it was only a prelude to the misery to come. Rupesh Jain, the manger of an automobile showroom, said, "It has hardly rained, but there are puddles along roads. If it starts raining heavily, we are in for one hell of a monsoon. Four out of five drains along the road are blocked with sand and other debris, leading to many puddles."      Satish Badve, chief engineer (roads), said, "We have replaced paver blocks in several parts of the city, thought some minor roads are yet to be repaired. The contractors have to clean up the road, lift extra material from the site, and clean drains along the road if they are clogged. If they do not do so, they shall be fined on a daily basis by the BMC."      Jude Pereira, member of the Hill Road Residents' Association, said, "They have started repairing the junction near St Stanislaus School with paver blocks. I hope they last this monsoon. I have yet to see any road where the blocks are in proper condition."      Badve said, "Like in the case of potholes, contractors will have to repair any depression that forms in the monsoon within 48 hours or they will be fined daily."      Experts claimed that the fault lied with poor workmanship. N V Mirani, a retired principal secretary of the public works department, told TOI, "The problem lies in laying the blocks. First, the surface must be prepared. It should be leveled with a bed of granular material like sand, which has to be spread out, and compacted. Only then can the paver blocks be laid. This step is often ignored and thus the blocks are not supported and depressions form."      Another problem with the blocks is misalignment, Mirani said.      "The interlocking blocks are dependent on each other. If one is removed or gets loose, the adjoining one gets affected. Every time blocks are removed as a road has to be dug up, the contractors do not reassemble them properly, which often leads to depressions."      Poor quality blocks also reduced a road's lifespan. A manufacturer said, "An ISIapproved block should last four to five years given that it is laid properly. Rarely will you find a block that has broken; more often it is not laid properly. Most contractors use inferior blocks to cut expenses too."  Times View M umbai has first-hand experience of how paver blocks, if used indiscriminately, can make for bad roads and potholes. A closer scrutiny now indicates paver blocks contribute significantly to clogged drains, Mumbai's second major problem during the monsoon. The BMC, if it's so much in love with paver blocks and thinks Mumbai cannot do without them, should at least follow expert advice and limit their use to pavements and junctions.