Actor and host Maniesh Paul recently had a conversation with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on his podcast show. The discussion revolved around various topics, including the state of Mumbai’s roads, which has been a major concern among citizens. Paul brought up the issue of potholes and asked the CM when the city could expect to become pothole-free.
CM Shinde addressed the matter by mentioning that he was not in charge earlier and that the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) was responsible for road maintenance. He stated that after taking office as CM, he summoned the commissioner and inquired about the funds spent on pre-monsoon road repairs over the past 10-15 years. The commissioner informed him that the expenditure amounted to Rs 3500 crores.
Expressing shock at the figure, Paul questioned why the roads remained in poor condition despite such a significant investment. CM Shinde responded by stating that there was corruption and malpractices involved and that he had put a stop to these practices. He emphasized the need to improve road infrastructure and mentioned that 700-800 kilometers of concrete roads were being planned, which would eliminate the annual cycle of repairs and provide better facilities to the citizens.
CM Shinde further promised to make Mumbai pothole-free within the next 2-2.5 years and acknowledged the inconvenience caused by ongoing infrastructure upgrades. He assured that these projects would ultimately benefit the city and its residents.
