Mumbai: Monsoon rains expose BMC claims, roads resemble ponds

Mumbai: The BMC had claimed that it had spent Rs 1,300 crore in repairing the drainage system and road in Mumbai. But just one week after the monsoon, the rains have led to potholes in many roads and drains are overflowing in several areas of Mumbai. Many waterlogged roads resemble a small pond.

Western Express Highway, which connects Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to Mumbai, Elphinstone Bridge in Parel, Central suburb's BR Ambedkar Road, Tulsi Pipe road that connect the city to its west suburb and Andheri's East-West flyover are the important roads of Mumbai. But all these roads are now waterlogged and have huge potholes.

Mumbai residents blame the BMC for the poor state of affairs and allege that the agency takes no steps to deal with monsoon rains.

While the situation is almost the same every year, but this time the difference is that the roads have been damaged and drains are overflowing after just a few days of rains while earlier this was the case after almost a one month of rains. Residents allege that the BMC has taken no steps to improve the quality of work.

This year too the BMC started the preparatory work with a budget of Rs 1,300 crore. The work started just a few days before the rains and was completed in a hurry to meet the deadline.

But monsoon rains have washed away BMC's efforts and roads now look like ponds.

Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu says that the potholes on roads are a result of heavy rains in the last four days. He adds that BMC officers and contractors are trying to fill up the potholes and repair the roads.