'Unwelcome to Mumbai,' say gaping potholes

Team MiD DAY visited Mumbai's crucial entry points, to survey the condition of roads, only to discover that the pockmarked roads are crying out for helpu00a0With the monsoons in full swing, Mumbai is putting its ugliest face forward to motorists who use some of the crucial entry points of the city to enter it these include Vashi on the Sion-Panvel Highway, Mulund on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), Airoli Bridge on the Airoli-Mulund Road, and Dahisar on the Western Express Highway (WEH). Dahisar: Potholes are the first sights that motorists get to see as they pass the Dahisar checknakaThe Public Works Department (PWD), which is responsible for maintenance of these stretches, claims to have spent over Rs 3 crore on its pre-monsoon repair work.u00a0But the pothole-riddled condition of the roads makes it difficult to believe that such a steep amount has been spent. Who's in charge?The PWD is in charge of maintaining and repairing the highways, while the flyovers are looked after by the Mumbai Entry Point Toll Road Pvt Ltd (MEPL), a toll management company. In November 2010, MEPL paid Rs 2,100 crore to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), as upfront payment for a contract for toll collection at the five entry points into Mumbai, for a period of 16 years, effective from November 19, 2010.u00a0The agreement between the two bodies also made MEPL responsible for maintenance and repair of flyovers near the toll nakas.u00a0MiD DAY made a trip to three of these entry points- at the WEH, the EEH, and the Sion-Panvel Highway- to evaluate the standard of maintenance work undertaken by the MEPL and the PWD, in charge of the flyovers and roads respectively, and found the conditions quite alarming. Western Express Highway (WEH)Team MiD DAY's first stop was the entry point on the WEH, located between Bandra and Dahisar. The most pothole-ridden stretch was found immediately ahead of the Dahisar Toll Plaza, with gaping craters measuring a foot each in cross section. Other, larger ones, some with a diameter of 2 feet, appeared to have been fixed temporarily, with the use of pavers blocks, making the stretch dangerous for motorists. Mulund: The driver's skills and the vehicle's brakes are put to the extreme test while crossing the toll naka Team MiD DAY also detected large potholes on other spots on the WEH, at arterial junctions near the domestic airport, on the Andheri flyover and near the Hub mall in Goregaon, which the PWD claims to have repaired recently.The situation was no better at the flyovers on WEH. The Dattapada flyover in Borivli, the Film City flyover in Malad, Aarey flyover in Goregaon, JVLR flyover in Jogeshwari, Jog flyover in Andheri, Vakola flyover in Santacruz and Bandra flyover, all of which are under the purview of the MEPL, are afflicted with large potholes.In the month of March this year, the state government had sanctioned Rs 3.5 crore for repair of the damaged bits on the WEH. The deplorable condition of the roads and flyovers, raises questions about the manner in which the taxpayer's money is being spent by the authorities.CommuterspeakSpeaking to MiD DAY, Dahisar resident Rana Singh (22), and Bijendra Pandey (28), said, The government should ask the toll collecting agency to repair the potholes on the flyovers between between Dahisar and Bandra, if they want to collect toll. The condition of flyovers in the vicinity of the toll plaza is so pathetic that many bike riders have had backbreaking accidents.Eastern Express Highway (EEH)The situation was no different on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) between Sion and Thane near the Mulund Toll plaza. Road as well as flyovers were riddled with potholes. Thane Ghodbunder Road, an arterial road connecting Thane with Dahisar and Borivli, was arguably in worst shape.RK Javnjal, executive engineer at PWD, which is in charge of construction and maintenance at the EEH, said, We have submitted a proposal to the authorities for pothole repair on the damaged stretches of the EEH. Kalyan: Contractors work hard to repair the pothole-ridden roads at Kalyan I have estimated a budget of Rs 60 lakh for this project. Once the money is sanctioned, work will begin. The maintenance of the EEH has been under the jurisdiction of the PWD since September 2009. Last year alone, we incurred expenses of nearly Rs 1 crore for repair of damages sustained by the EEH in the monsoons.MEPL is in charge of maintaining six of the flyovers between Sion and Mulund, and two flyovers between Mulund and Thane. Speaking to MiD DAY, Chief Engineer of MEPL, Kiran Pangaonkar said, Potholes appear everyday during the monsoons. We have to work non-stop to fill them up.u00a0To keep the flyovers motorable, we fill the holes with stones, bricks, paver block, grit and tar as a temporary solution. Once the monsoon season comes to an end, we do a more permanent job of leveling the roads. CommuterspeakDr Pradnya Bapat, a pathologist at Powai Hospital, complained, One of the tyres on my vehicles ruptured because of the terrible condition of the road. My car requires regular maintenance and servicing because of this. Commuting has become a huge pain.u00a0Aasif Barde, employee of a pharmaceutical company, commutes daily from Chembur to Thane. He said, It's worse on the flyovers, especially for two-wheeler owners like me. Thane: Workers have been busy all through the week filling up the potholes We have to drive at high speeds within the highway, and when a pothole appears out of nowhere, I often lose control of the vehicle. It's dangerous driving in the rains.Sion-Panvel HighwayAs commuters and motorists enter the city through the Vashi Toll Naka, they are welcomed with a grinning pothole and a broken road. In the wake of the recent heavy rains, large sections of the roads in the area appear to have fragmented and fallen out, leaving behind potholes.u00a0The MEPL is in charge of maintenance work of all nine flyovers and bridges on the stretch between BARC and Taloja on the Sion-Panvel Highway. S K Singh, Civil Engineer, MEPL said, We have an annual budget of Rs 4 crore for maintenance and repair of flyovers and bridges which lie between BARC and Taloja.u00a0This year, we have repaired many road patches and potholes in our pre-monsoon work. In spite of that, the heavy rains have damaged the roads again. We will repair them soon.CommuterspeakRakesh Chavan, employee with Mahindra & Mahindra, said, I do not think the MEPL has spent Rs 4 crore, as it claims. How can roads be this damaged after so much money is spent on them? We are not fools.Rahul Pawar, businessman, said, I am not in the favour of paying toll tax to the MEPL. One order from the High Court can prevent them from collecting toll tax on incomplete roads, and this road does not qualify as a completed road. The government is robbing us.Sayyad Ahmad, a chauffeur, said, I have to drive on this stretch often, but it has become increasingly difficult to do so, as the road is broken at many stretches, and is strewn with potholes. I have been suffering from severe back pain owing to this.The Other SideJayant Mhaiskar, director of MEPL, said, I do not think that there are enough potholes to disturb traffic on the flyovers maintained by our agency on WEH, EEH and the Sion Panvel Highway. However, we are planning to use asphalt layers to repair potholes and damaged patches. The work can only commence after the rainy season in October.Transport Expert speakTransport Expert Sudhir Badami, said, The government agencies in charge of road maintenance should set up an internet based system for road maintenance, so motorists can help them identify pothole ridden stretches. The engineers assigned with the task of repairing the roads should also be held accountable.