Mumbai's roads have deteriorated due to heavy rains, with potholes becoming a major issue across the city. In response, the state government has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to repair all potholes before Ganeshotsav, including those located in areas managed by other authorities.
A key example is the Vakola bridge, which falls under the MSRDC’s jurisdiction and has developed numerous potholes. Since repairing it will require significant funds, senior BMC officials have stated they will seek reimbursement from the concerned authorities for such large-scale repair work.
Since June, the BMC has received over 8,000 pothole complaints, with half of them reported in August alone. Notably, more than 850 of these complaints relate to roads and bridges outside BMC’s direct control.
Mumbai has multiple agencies such as MMRDA, MMRCL, MHADA, BPT, the Railways, and the Airport Authority, all of which operate within the city. However, complaints regarding roads under their jurisdiction are often directed to the BMC, leading to confusion over responsibility. The situation has escalated due to the worsening condition of the Vakola bridge, highlighting the blurred lines of accountability.
While the BMC manages the Western Express Highway, maintenance of the bridges on it, like Vakola, is the responsibility of MSRDC. Still, the state government has ordered the BMC to repair potholes even in such areas.
According to officials, the BMC typically does not maintain roads under the BPT, Airport Authority, or the Railways. However, it does handle pothole repairs in areas managed by MHADA and MSRDC. The MMRDA is responsible for the BKC region, which also lies outside the BMC’s purview.
This year, the BMC has taken up pothole repair on MSRDC-managed Vakola and Vikhroli bridges, and work is already underway. Similarly, potholes in MHADA's Maharashtra Nagar area in Mankhurd are being repaired. The civic body is also addressing potholes caused by MMRCL’s metro construction along Dahisar’s service roads.
Vakola bridge remains in especially poor condition. Even when one pothole is repaired, new ones emerge quickly. Officials believe the entire bridge surface needs to be redone, and this work ideally should have been completed before the monsoon. Now, due to the urgency, only temporary fixes are being made. These repairs will continue throughout the monsoon, after which the total cost will be submitted to the responsible authority.
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Complaints on BMC website
Total complaints of potholes – 8,799
Potholes on other authority roads – 855
Complaints in August – 4,469