The indifference of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) towards the gaping potholes on the city roads has left a Santacruz-based marble shop owner with no option but to fill them up with the help of three of his workers. In a bid to make a 200-metre stretch from the Hanuman road subway to the domestic airport flyover motorable and to reduce the traffic snarls that continue up to Jogeshwari, Mulchand Parekh is using crushed bricks and construction debris to fix the road temporarily.

The western express highway is an arterial road that connects the western suburbs with Mahim and the motorists, who take the route often, have been facing traffic jams since the beginning of monsoon. Though an MMRDA-appointed contractor has been filling and repairing the potholes whenever there is a dry spell, it has not helped much. Speaking to mid-day, Parekh said, "Every year potholes appear on the same stretch of the highway but the authorities concerned are yet to find a permanent solution to it. This also shows how serious they are. Even though the agency looking after it has changed from the Public Works Department to MMRDA, the situation remains the same."