As Mumbai gears up for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, civic data has exposed a glaring disparity in the progress of a key electoral promise: making the city's roads pothole-free through concretisation. The island city area has seen a mere 15.3% completion of the ongoing work, while the suburban belt races ahead with over 53.33% of roads concretised.
A Tale of Two Mumbais: City Lags Far Behind
The ambitious project, initiated following an announcement by then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, involves concretising a total of 2,121 roads spanning 700 km. Tenders worth a colossal Rs 17,733 crore were issued between 2023 and 2024. However, the latest figures present a divided picture. Overall, work has been finished on only 815 roads (38.28%), is in progress on 625 (29.46%), and hasn't even begun on 681 roads (32%).
The data becomes more concerning at the ward level. Seventeen of Mumbai's 24 main administrative wards, covering over 70% of its geographical area, have not crossed the halfway mark in completion. The eastern suburbs also lag, with a progress rate of just 24.6%.
Ward-Wise Winners and Losers in the Concrete Race
The western suburbs are clear frontrunners. The R North ward (Dahisar) leads with 67.7% of its 93 roads completed. It is closely followed by R South (Kandivali) at 62.96% and R Central (Borivali) at 62.16% completion.
In stark contrast, the island city's prestigious wards are at the bottom of the list. E ward (Byculla) has completed work on just one out of 54 roads (1.85%). In D ward (Malabar Hill, Grant Road), only 7 of 79 roads (8.8%) are done, while C ward (Pydhonie, Kalbadevi) has finished 4 of 44 roads (9%).
Official Reasons: Delayed Start and VIP Hurdles
A senior BMC official explained the uneven progress, citing a significant delay in starting work in the island city. While work orders for western suburbs were issued in February 2023 and ground work began by October 2023, the process for the island city started nearly a year later. Orders were issued in October 2023, with civil work only commencing by October 2024.
"The island city houses all the VIP locations, therefore we don't get traffic permission to carry out road works round the clock, unlike in other parts of Mumbai," the official stated. The official also blamed the monsoon, which halts digging work for 4-5 months, and the inexperience of some new contractors, particularly in the eastern suburbs where penalties have been imposed for slow pace.
With the BMC polls set for January 15 and results on January 16, the state of Mumbai's roads and the unequal pace of this mega project are poised to be a critical issue for voters and candidates alike, casting a shadow over the grand promise of a pothole-free metropolis.
