Mumbai: The BMC's ambitious project to concretise roads in Mumbai has faced setbacks due to substandard work at some locations. The complaints regarding poor construction quality have prompted civic authorities to order an inquiry and a detailed report on all the work under the project. Based on the findings, appropriate corrective measures will be taken to ensure that the construction meets the required quality standards.

Bhushan Gagrani, the municipal commissioner, stated, "The audit of concrete roads currently underway in the city will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay (IIT-B) and the internal department."

This decision was made following complaints regarding poor construction quality at certain locations. According to sources, the audit will evaluate the quality of materials used, adherence to construction standards, and the overall execution process. The inspection will focus on identifying defects such as cracks, uneven surfaces, or poor finishing, which are often signs of substandard work.

A senior civic official said, "The concerned contractor, engineer, and consultant will be held responsible if the road work is found to be of inferior quality." This comes after Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ashish Shelar called for an audit of road work following the discovery of visible cracks on Bhargav Road in Santacruz, which was constructed last year. The civic officials, along with a team from the IIT-B, conducted an inspection of the roads in Dahisar on December 12.

The BMC have appointed IIT-B as an independent quality control agency for the ongoing cement concretisation work in Mumbai. IIT-B will be providing recommendations on road maintenance, conducting inspections, reviewing quality standards, performing tests, and preparing audit reports.

In Phase 1, the BMC has completed only 46 km of the planned 324 km of concretisation within a year. Currently, work is ongoing on 213 roads, with 298 roads yet to be concretised.

In Phase 2, of the 1,420 roads scheduled for concretisation, 433 are currently under construction, with many still pending. These delays have hindered the BMC's ambitious goal of creating a pothole-free Mumbai.