Mumbai: Why dig up and repair perfectly good pavements? Activists ask BMC

And once again it all comes down to the civic bodys poor management Why else are perfectly good pavements in Khar West being dug up to be relaid This is what activists and citizens are asking questioning the repeated relaying of footpaths which are in a good condition in a very short span of time The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC is undertaking repairs of 7th and 10th Roads in Khar West by removing paver blocks and reconstructing them with asphaltPavement at 7th Road in Khar WestActivists have alleged that civic officials have removed paver blocks from the pavements lining these streets as well despite the footpaths being in a good condition Activist Zoru Bhathena has raised the issue with the HWest Bandra Khar ward office calling it criminal destruction of perfectly good pavements He has even uploaded photographs on Facebook to show the before and after state of the pavementsAlso read BMCs unfulfilled promises 168 roads yet to be repaired7th Road and 10th Road junctionHe said she saidBhathena in his complaint said On Sunday the pavement lining 10th Road near S V Road Junction and proceeding towards 7th Road was dug up It was dug up and relaid in March 2016 and then again in May 2017 This is the third time The pavement is in a reasonably good condition and certainly doesnt need to be repaired thrice in 18 months7th Road outside SBI branch KharThe same thing happened on 7th Road where the pavement was dug up on Monday This is a criminal waste of public money and such unnecessary work must be stopped he added raising the issue with local corporator and former deputy mayor Alka KerkarAlso read Mumbai BMC ducks RTI request for report on shoddy road repairsSpeaking to midday Kerkar said I have told civic officials to relay only those pavements that need to be for those that are in a good condition I have told them to stop the work Repairs are being carried out because of trenches which had created uneven patches on that particular stretch At several places the paver blocks had popped out making it particularly risky for senior citizensReal need indeedAfter Bhathenas complaints some officials from the road department visited the spot on Wednesday and explained to him that the pavements would be replaced at no extra expenditure as the work was being done under the road repair contract Bhathena said officials claim that pavements that appeared to be in a good conditon needed to be relaid as they had internal water damageAlso read Heres why BMC has yet to start work on dilapidated Mahalaxmi bridgeWhen midday contacted Assistant Municipal Commissioner of HWest ward Sharad Ughade he said My staff visited the site and told me that though the stretch of footpaths is in a good condition roads are in a bad shape and at many places paver blocks have sunk creating uneven patches We are relaying the road with asphalt and along with that repairing paver blockless patches on the footpaths Its not a financial burden on the civic bodyAlso read Pune Crime Man stabs youth for spilling tea on himThe attacker was shot dead by soldiers of the Sentinelle antiterrorist force Efe news agency reportedSecurity forces have cordoned off the area and French Interior Minister Geacuterard Collomb was on his way to the site according to French mediaAlso view photosThe story of Dawood Ibrahims sister Haseena Parkar