BMC bans digging of new roads in Mumbai

Mumbai: No newly paved road in Mumbai can be dug, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ordered on Wednesday and directed civic officials to finish all road concretisation work in the city before May 31.

In a release, BMC said the civic commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani recently issued strict directives concerning the roads.

Once a road is constructed, no digging and trenching would be allowed on it, said the corporation. Instructions have also been issued not to dig any new road for concretisation, it said.

As per the release, the civic body has issued work orders for cement concretisation of 324 km (698 roads) in the island city and 377 km (1,420 roads) in the eastern and western suburbs of Mumbai.

BMC said it has targeted to complete 75 per cent of concretisation works in the first phase.

“To avoid any inconvenience to citizens, excavation of new roads has been prohibited after February 22. All (ongoing) road works and related works will have to be completed by May 31,” the release stated.

Sources said the civic body took the step after receiving several complaints from citizens and activists about new roads being dug in the city.