BMC undertakes repair of 305 roads

Under severe flak over condition of roads in the megalopolis, the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), going to polls next year, today said it has undertaken repair of 305 roads within its limits.
The BMC will repair 83 roads in island city, 88 roads in eastern suburbs and 134 roads in western suburbs.
In September, the BMC administration had identified 1,004 roads across the city for repairing and re-laying, following an uproar over an alleged massive scam in Roads Department of the country's richest civic body.
"The augmentation of re-laying (of roads) as well as repairing of 305 roads is the part of our ambitious plan to repair 1,004 roads across the city, stretching every nook and corner of the city," a senior official said today.

According to the official, the administration is trying hard to execute this large scale project, saying it should be monitored by the senior-most officials of BMC.
The decision of repairing 305 roads was announced today after BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta held a review meeting with Additional Commissioners and Deputy Municipal Commissioners and asked them to expedite the work.

BMC has been drawing flak over an alleged road scam, and 26 persons, including some civic officials and contractors, were arrested earlier in this connection.
The 'scam' was sniffed by the members of public and the activists last year who alleged that "shoddy" work was being carried out by the contractors in connivance with civic officials.

Amid the hue and cry, city Mayor Snehal Ambekar had written a letter to Mehta in October last year asking him to look into the issue, who in turn set up an inquiry into the alleged malpractices and corrupt acts linked to the officials of Road department and the contractors concerned.