Mumbai currently resembles a chaotic treasure hunt, with nearly every street and bylane dug up for road concreting, utility repairs, Metro works, or forgotten infrastructure that suddenly demands attention. (Pics/ Anurag Ahire/ Ashish Raje/ Satej Shinde/ Nimesh Dave/ Atul Kamble/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi)
Updated On: 2025-04-21 01:59 PM IST
Compiled by : Anushree Gaikwad
Road concreting work at Madh-Marve (Aksa-Madh stretch) on April 1, 2025 (right). Road concreting work in progress at Hindu Colony, Dadar, on April 14, 2025
Madh-Marve road was dug up for concreting work on April 1, 2025
In some areas, roads are freshly concreted, only to be dug up again to relay missed-out amenities
Officials monitoring the works claim there’s “method in the madness,” and that small stretches are being taken up one at a time. But the sheer scale of this operation is taking a massive toll on citizens, from walkers and motorists to the elderly and disabled
Emergency vehicles are forced to take long diversions, delaying response times. In many areas, hospital access roads are dug up with no viable alternative routes
Despite the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, which mandates accessible infrastructure, Mumbai’s footpaths and streets remain largely non-compliant
For the city’s 4 lakh-plus disabled residents, navigating this mess has become nearly impossible
mid-day reporters scouted five zones—south, central, east, west, and north Mumbai—to document the impact of the digging drive
This five-part campaign will focus on key problem areas: walkability and footpaths, emergency access, accountability, missed deadlines, and potential solutions. “This is clearly a BMC-created crisis,” said Rishi Aggarwal, founder of the Walking Project. “Many roads taken up for concreting were in good condition. Public money is being wasted while citizens suffer. Participatory budgeting at the ward level could have avoided this.”
Experts highlight that the absence of underground ducting for utilities poses a significant problem. “Without ducts, each time a utility line requires repair, roads are excavated anew—even concrete surfaces,” stated Rao. “This inadequate planning hinders emergency repairs and escalates expenses. It's a form of criminal negligence.”
The road concreting project began in 2023. The BMC is spending Rs 12,000 crore to convert 702 km of tar roads into concrete. Before the monsoon, the civic body aims to complete 420 km of this work. The BMC has set a target to convert all roads under its jurisdiction to concrete by 2027. Of the total 2050 km of roads managed by the BMC, over 1350 km have already been converted
