Mumbai: Shelar demands SIT probe into BMC’s shoddy concrete road works
Mumbai: Amid reports of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) shoddy concrete road works, the Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Friday urged the Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to set up a Special investigation team (SIT) to enquire into the quality aspects of work done, carry out detailed audit including experts from IIT Bombay, VJTI of 40 per cent of concretised road patches on randomised basis and investigate lapses if any in quality control, vigilance process and the contractor’s working.
He has also demanded that strict action be taken against the errant road contractors including levying of penalties, blacklisting and action be taken against negligent agencies, and officials for their lapses, if any.
Shelar’s demand during his meeting with Gagrani comes in the wake of media reports of cracks in the newly concretised roads in various parts of Mumbai. The BMC is currently spending Rs 6000 crore on road concretisation across the city which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shekar in his letter to Gagrani said he has received several complaints from citizens regarding the poor quality of road concreting work done.
“During my inspection of Badhwar Road in Santacruz west area of my assembly constituency, I noted the recently completed concretised road has developed cracks, layers of concrete are peeling off and even curing for latest road works done is not correct. In view of many such issues of poor quality work with road concreting works done coming to notice and highlighted in media reports,” he added.
Shelar’s letter and his visit to inspect the quality of concretisation comes after several residents from Powai, Bandra West and Andheri’s Lokhandwala raised concerns about the newly concretised road conditions.
They claimed that it was due to the negligence of contractors and civic officials. They accused them of their failure to conduct regular monitoring resulting in bad quality of work.
Taking serious note of the complaints by citizens, a BMC officer said it would fix the responsibility on contractors and quality management agencies for shoddy work.