Potholed suburb

In a survey conducted by the civic body for identifying chronic flooding spots on the roads in the area, the officials found out that out of Govandi and Mankhurd have the maximum number of bad patches (40). For residents of the area, bad roads are a part of their lives.

“The government and municipal authorities don’t pay attention to our problems even though we have all been complaining to the M-East ward office," said Mahesh Ghanawat of Trader’s Association, an association of local shopkeepers.

Sheila Balakrishnan, a local resident, said, "When the rains set in, bad roads, accumulated waste and floods make living here a nightmare. The rain water mixes with industrial waste and we have to wade through the hazardous filth every day." It is a bumpy ride on the other side of the tracks, too.

Rickshaw driver Santosh Kumar said, "Constant complaints to the authorities and the unions have proved futile. I have to repeatedly spend money to keep my vehicle in working condition." Keyur Parekh, a resident of 10th road faces similar problems with his car. "I had to travel to Govandi to take my exams.

Travelling through the roads was a harrowing experience — traffic jams, potholes and non-functional signals. I thought I’d never reach my centre on time," said Parekh. The layers of BMC’s patchwork peel off with the season’s first showers. In other places, even if the potholes have been filled up, motorists complain that the shoddy nature of the levelling work continues to make for a bumpy ride.

However, Balakrishnan needs more than an assurance. "I shudder to think how pregnant women travel on these roads. Every June I think of shifting my residence but stay back hoping that things will change," she said. When asked why the repair work failed to give 100 per cent results, civic officials said that the contractors had to face many difficulties in carrying out the work.

Contractors blamed the delay on the series of holidays and non-availability of labourers. The contractors said that they have filled the potholes roughly with mettle and grit while the finishing will be done in the coming days.
A contractor working in the eastern suburbs and also a member of the municipal construction contractors association said, on condition of anonymity, “The approval for filling the potholes is given at a short notice and we have difficulty in finding the labourers so soon.” 

Additional municipal commissioner, R A Rajeev said, “We are experimenting this year with the preventive maintenance system which will ensure that there are no potholes when the rainy season begins.”

This year, contractors will also have a choice to opt for repair works from ten materials including paver blocks, asphalt, cement concrete and matrix asphalt. Rajeev said that guidelines have been prepared on how and where the materials can be used for repairing roads.