Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has said that more than 92% of Mumbai’s 2,000-km road network has already been converted into cement concrete roads as the civic body works to address potholes and improve road quality.
Bhide, a 1995-batch IAS officer, took charge as the BMC’s 32nd municipal commissioner earlier this year. She said the civic body is also focusing on better governance, infrastructure, flood resilience and digital systems.
Addressing concerns over potholes, Bhide explained that Mumbai’s largely bituminous roads require frequent excavation for underground utility work. “Besides, the entire road network in the city is getting converted into cement concrete (CC) roads. Of the 2,000 kms in the city, 1,850 kms have already been concretised,” she said.
She added that more than 27 public and private utilities run beneath Mumbai’s roads, making occasional excavation unavoidable. To reduce repeated road cutting, the BMC is introducing utility ducts and developing a trenching policy to encourage utility agencies to place their networks within designated ducts.
The commissioner also highlighted the BMC’s pothole app, through which civic personnel identify road defects and aim to address them within 24 hours. The status is available through a public dashboard.
On her priorities, Bhide said governance requires consistent execution rather than a single flagship initiative. “I don’t have one single agenda. I always believe governance is not a job which you can show off. It’s a job which needs to be done,” she said.
The BMC, which has an annual budget of around ₹80,000 crore, is undertaking several major infrastructure projects, including the North Coastal Road, sewage treatment plants, the North-West Ring Road, Gargai Dam and desalination projects.
The civic body is also working on flood-management infrastructure, stormwater drainage, solid waste management and its ‘Pedestrians First’ programme. Bhide said the BMC is additionally expanding digital governance through Auto DCR and developing an AI policy to support data-driven decision-making.
Source: Fortune India
