HC asks BMC to fill potholes in city by August 30

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday set August 30 as deadline for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities to fill potholes on city roads, and directed it to file a compliance report in this regard.

The direction, passed by a bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and SA Bobde, came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) that pointed out the bad condition of Mumbai’s roads.

The court directed various authorities in the city responsible for the upkeep of roads to fill potholes in areas under their respective jurisdiction.

Earlier last month, the HC had reprimanded the BMC for pothole-ridden roads and water-logging in the city. Taking note of a clutch of PILs filed last year on the pathetic condition of roads and the poor drainage system after the 26/7 deluge, the HC had censured the BMC for doing nothing to improve the conditions.

The court, in a caustic observation, said that the Rs 250-crore that the BMC has spent on road repairs before the monsoon has gone down the drain. Noting that the quality of repair was “very poor”, the court directed the BMC to survey the roads and asked why contractors who used sub-standard material should not be punished.

The judges said: “Life should go on as normal. That is the spirit of this city.” It dismissed the BMC’s contention that the city’s spirit was dampened by the heavy rains. “Heavy rains are not a new phenomenon in a coastal city like Mumbai,” they said.

In another directive, the Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, asked the deputy collector of encroachment to remove huts and tents at the Azad Maidan within a week.

Padmakar Shetty of the Mumbai Cricket Association had written a letter to the Chief Justice, pointing out the encroachments on Azad Maidan and bad upkeep of the ground. This was converted into a public interest litigation. A division bench of justices RM Lodha and SA Bobde also directed the deputy director of sports and youth affairs to ensure that “the ground is kept clean and free of rubbish.”

The deputy collector and deputy director were asked by the Court to file reports on implementing the order next week. The Court also ordered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to take steps to keep the ground clean.

One of Mr Shetty’s main contentions was that political processions, which usually culminate at Azad Maidan, encroach on cricket pitches, and the Court should pass some definitive order in this respect. The Court, however, directed the police commissioner to look into this grievance.