Maha Assembly Speaker directs BMC to take up only road projects in October; sets December deadline for completion

Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) In a bid to fast-tracking road development in Mumbai, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, on Friday, directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take up only those road development works in October that are partially complete.

He said that all such works must be completed by December, adding that no new roads will be dug up unless there is a specific local demand, and the issue must be discussed with local elected representatives.

He gave these directives during a high-level meeting, which was attended by Mumbai BJP President and MLA Ameet Satam, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar, and other senior civic officials.

"Clear instructions have been issued that no fresh road digging will be undertaken unless there is specific local insistence, and only after discussions with the respective local elected representatives. Also, moving forward, footpaths will no longer be constructed using paver blocks, but with stamped concrete to ensure better durability," said Satam after the meeting.

He also said that roads measuring less than 9 metres in width will be constructed using mastic asphalt -- a proposal he had originally made during a previous review meeting held in March.

"This recommendation has now been formally accepted by the BMC," he added.

Raising concerns about road quality, BJP leader Satam said the BMC has been directed to refer all complaints regarding substandard road works to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for technical evaluation and necessary action to be taken by BMC on suggestions of IIT.

"So far, 50 per cent of the total road works have been completed. To bring greater transparency, the BMC will now create zone-wise dashboards to track the progress of road development for public viewing," he added.

--IANS

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