BMC proposal to rid city roads of potholes

July 1: Potholes on Mumbai roads may finally be repaired with the corporation introducing a fresh proposal in the standing committee on Wednesday.

The commissioner will introduce the fresh proposal with a cut in the total cost of repairs from Rs 12 crore to Rs 10 crore. Sources said the municipal secretary’s department received the new proposal today which has been sent for printing. All the members cutting across party lines opposed the proposal on May 30. The Congress had strongly protested against it right from the beginning. Sena Leader Nandu Satam also opposed it saying that they would approve it only if the cost was cut. However, they changed their stand last week when the commissioner Girish Gokhale brought the issue through an informal statement. The Sena spoke in favour of the proposal but the other party members refused to budge. Congress and SP members walked out of the committee meeting in protest.

Chairman and BJP leader Sardar Tara Singh then suggested that the item should be passed through voting. But this could not be done as an informal statement does not hold any status and no voting can be done on it, according to the corporation convention which is being followed since 1980s. Satam opposed the proposal as the cost of repairs this year was the same as that of last year.“The cost should have gone down as a large number of roads are being concretised by the corporation,” he argued. Now that the cost has been cut, Singh said his party would pass the proposal.