COUNTDOWN TO MONSOON

Only 184 of 600 minor roads re-laid

129 Out Of 171 Major Ones Done

Mumbai: Learning from its mistakes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is taking no chances with newly-laid major and minor roads this monsoon. No new roads will be taken up during the monsoon and the civic body claims all roads where work had begun have been brought to a "safe" level. 
    Of the 171 major cement concrete and asphalt roads, the BMC has completed 129 till June 10. The picture is grim for 
minor roads, as only 184 of the over 600 roads targeted have been re-laid. 
    Senior civic officials took stock of the situation, sending across a stern message to contractors on Tuesday. "Contractors have been told to maintain roads that have been laid. They will be responsible for correcting defects that crop up during the rainy season. We will not take up new work during the monsoon and instructions have been issued to give final touches, like clearing debris," said Rajiv Jalota, additional municipal commissioner. 
    BMC claimed that of the major roads, work has already begun on 20, but they have ensured they are in a motorable condition. "We have ensured all roads have been brought to a safe level, which will not affect traffic movement. Minor touches to pavements and junctions remains. No work has been left half done," said a senior roads department official. 
    Experts, however, are skeptical about the department's numbers. N V Merani, chairman, standing technical advisory committee, said, "The numbers don't say much. We can only understand the work done by contractors by checking the lane kilometres completed. The length will be the right measure of checking progress by the civic body." 
    Monitoring newly-laid roads is extremely important, the experts said, and added that two factors must be checked. Firstly, water tends to seep in and after settling down creates a depression. It leads to cracks in new roads. Secondly, officials and contractors should ensure drainage movement along new roads is proper to prevent water-logging, subsequently affecting the condition of roads. "Bringing roads to a safe level isn't enough. Weekly inspection should be undertaken so that the quality remains intact," added Merani. 
    Meanwhile, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan came out strongly against potholes and said that they had appointed a Swiss company to check the quality of roads this year. There was need for an independent auditor for road work in the city, he said. 
    Chavan said the civic body was using new technologies, which should make things better this year. 
    "Potholes will be less this year. I don't know if they will be eliminated,'' he said. 
70Cr for emergency road work 
BMC will spend Rs 70 crore–Rs 10 crore per zone–for emergency purposes relating to city roads. The 24 wards have been divided into seven zones. Tenders for road work contracts have been floated and the work order is likely to be issued in October. Existing road work contracts have expired and the new ones will be for two years. The work will include fixing drainages along roads.

A pot-holed stretch in Mulund