The Public Works Department (PWD) on Thursday issued an order handing over the possession of the Eastern and Western Expressways to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for next five years. The PWD which used to face severe criticism for bad condition of these expressways during the rainy season has now relieved itself from the social bashing by handing over these roads to the MMRDA.
The city has been witnessing a widening network of Metro Railway. The Metro rail work is going on between Andheri to Dahisar on the Western Express Highway. Same is the situation with Eastern Express Highway. Hence, the MMRDA has put up a demand to the State government to hand these roads over to them for five years. Granting the development authority’s demand, the PWD issued a circular stating transfer of possession of these roads to the MMRDA. The chief engineer (special projects) of PWD and designated officer of the MMRDA should immediately complete the transfer, states the government circular.
Eastern and Western Express Highways have been facing concerns due to potholes as the condition of these roads are poor and not being repaired. The BMC also used to be criticised not only for roads it maintains but also for potholes on the Expressways. The BMC had always pointed finger at the PWD whenever it used to face criticism. PWD minister Chandrakant Patil had assured to get these Expressways repaired before the monsoon hits the city. Now, the PWD has also got relief by handing over these roads to the MMRDA.
It is to be mentioned here that these roads were earlier planned to be given to the civic body but the government changed its decision and placed MMRDA at the helm of Expressway management in the city.