BMC's work belies CM's promise of filling city's potholes in a day, as Aarey Colony, most frequented for visarjans, and other stretches in western suburbs, remain full of craters

After CM Prithviraj Chavan's robust promise on Wednesday to devotees that the city would be one smooth ride for Ganesh visarjan within 24 hours, it appears the BMC was either not listening or chose to ignore the ultimatum. As the civic body failed us, patchy roads prevailed.


Rick-ety roads: Even the highways are not spared, as this picture from
Western Express Highway proves. pic/rane ashish

The deadline for mending roads is already a day behind and the potholes in one of the most popular immersion spots in the western suburbs, the Chhota Kashmir Lake in Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon (East), remain intact.

The condition of roads in JVLR, the Aarey Colony flyover, and the Dattapada flyover in Borivli is no different.


Giant depressions dot the WEH. Despite the CM's promise, we spotted
several on the Tata Power flyover in Kandivli


Last afternoon, when this reporter drove along Aarey Road going towards the lake from Western Express Highway (WEH), he found that the entire 1-km stretch was full of craters, big and small. The PWD workers seemed like they were just getting started with filling them.

Some of those bringing their Ganpati for immersion in motor vehicles parked the automobiles, got down, and started hoofing it along with the idols, so the sculptures could be immersed unbroken. Devotees using the flyover for reaching immersion spots can expect to break idol, if not neck, they said angrily.


And more on the flyover near the airport in Vile Parle


Moreover, right before you can drive up on the north-bound carriageway of the Aarey colony flyover, you are plunged into a big pothole, which makes the traffic movement slow everyday. The Dattapada flyover has its share of dips and dents. The stretch of Western Express Highway between Andheri and Dahisar is also tattered with several depressions.