The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday informed the Bombay high court that it was considering getting new road repair technology from Australia but this would not come to India before
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday informed the Bombay high court that it was considering getting new road repair technology from Australia but this would not come to India before the end of the monsoon.
In the meantime, observing that the BMC was carrying out repair work of potholes in the city in an ad hoc manner, the court said the civic body seems to be using sub-standard material due to which potholes keep re-appearing.
The division bench of justices Shantanu Kemkar and M.S. Karnik, while hearing a suo-motu public interest litigation on the issue of increasing number of potholes in the city, which was leading to accidents and deaths of motorists, also asked the police to issue notices to road contractors asking them to work during the night so that people face minimum inconvenience due to the ongoing work.
The bench also asked the BMC to procure good materials to fill potholes so that they last longer and do not resurface frequently. The bench suggested that the BMC go for materials that are sustainable even if they are costly as it would be the beneficiary in the long term, also keeping the larger public interest in mind.
The bench also observed that from media reports and arguments put forth by the intervening applicants, it seemed that the BMC was carrying out road repairs in a temporary manner and no proper material was used.
The court directed the civic body in its July 13 meeting to also consider the technologies suggested by the Indian Road Congress and Central Road and Research Institute (CRRI).
Following this, the BMC told the bench that it was considering getting a new road repair technology from Australia. The new technology is called Eco Green while the old technology, from South Africa, is called Carbon Core.
