‘Banned’ firm continues work on potholes in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Weeks after the BMC announced that the patchmaker technology, one of the three technologies used for pothole repairs, had been dropped, TOI has learnt that the civic body has asked the suppliers of the technology to continue work in south Mumbai, Bandra, Khar and Chembur. While the technology is being closely monitored in south Mumbai, the suppliers, Shaunak Infrastructure, maintain that their work has lasted after some changes were made to the product.
Roads department officials confirmed that the technology hasn’t been dropped but is being monitored. It is also learnt that civic chief Sitaram Kunte is closely following the work done by the technology provider. “We aren’t discontinuing the firm’s services. They have made some changes in their product and we have been getting good reviews. We are monitoring their work in some areas in south Mumbai,” said a roads department official.
Shaunak Infrastructure officials maintained that they had made some changes to the adhesive doses required for the product. “We met BMC officials and asked them to review the changes made. They approved of the changes and we have been allowed to continue in the areas that we had been assigned earlier, with the rider that our work would be reviewed. No final word regarding the review has come from the BMC,” an official from the firm said.
After TOI reported that the work done by the firm and its contractor did not last after light rains, the BMC pulled up the technology supplier and gave them a 14-day deadline to pull up their socks. Not happy with the firm’s work, the BMC had planned to shunt it out and was contemplating floating tenders for the work that was supposed to be done by the firm.
However, with this development, it is unlikely that all the announcements made earlier would be followed.