Mumbai: BMC Introduces Duct Policy for Road Concretization in Urban Development Initiative

Mumbai: In the coming days, contractors in Mumbai will have to publish the list of roads to be concretized and their Google location online. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued strict rules for pothole-free roads. The civic administration has warned that penal action will be taken against those violating the rules. In view of this, the BMC will come up with a 'duct policy' for quality roads in Mumbai. The BMC has 2,050 km of roads under its jurisdiction. 

The civic body is spending crores of rupees to maintain and repair these roads, yet potholes remain a persistent problem. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed the civic administration to make the roads in Mumbai concrete for pothole-free roads. Accordingly, a policy is being formulated and action is being taken to make the roads pothole-free. Drainage lines, stormwater drain (SWD) lines, telephones, electricity cables, and optical fiber lines are under the road surface. 

When these channels malfunction, roads have to be dug up for repairs and potholes crop up. Apart from avoiding this, the BMC's roads department said that a 'duct policy' will be implemented to provide quality transport to Mumbaikars.

Citizens will have to be informed first when digging or improving roads. Road repair work will have to be done with new water and sewer repair connections. 

Along with the road improvement work, the civic body has been instructed to provide street lights in the concerned section and ensure that the site engineers involved in the work are included in all the utility ducts. 

The 'duct policy':

1) Prohibition of laying of hume pipes in concrete road work.

2) Laying of RCC duct up to 50 meters on the side of the road.

3) To provide facilities for laying cables under the road.

4) If there is a cable connection, replace the stub with water main.

5) Provide stub water mains along the side of the road at the boundary of all plots.

6) The boundaries of all plots should be linked to sewer roads.

7) Proper coordination with the department before repairing the road.