Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde sets 2026 as new deadline for pothole-free Mumbai | Exclusive

The pothole-riddled streets of Mumbai seem to be a tale as old as time, with their condition deteriorating each passing year. Residents of the city have resigned themselves to the bleak reality of never experiencing well-maintained roads.

Annually, before the monsoon season, authorities assert that they have adequately prepared for the impending rains and assure the public of a pothole-free Mumbai. However, these assurances are swiftly nullified by the first downpour, leaving the people of Mumbai to endure the consequences.

In 2022, upon assuming the role of Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde vowed to eradicate potholes from Mumbai's roads by 2024. He asserted that the concrete surfacing of roads would be pivotal in reaching this objective. However, this assertion has failed to yield any noticeable improvements.

Now, in an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Shinde has announced a revised deadline for achieving a pothole-free Mumbai. He conveyed to CNBC-TV18, stating, "In the next two years, i.e., by 2026, Mumbai will be completely pothole-free."

Shinde said that when he became the CM, he and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had a meeting with the BMC commissioner. He told CNBC-TV18 that, "I asked the BMC chief why we still have potholes in Mumbai. He said that we repair our roads every year. I realised that money is unnecessarily being pumped into the repair business, and we will get rid of potholes once and for all. I ordered that all the roads of Mumbai should be concretised. So now we are working on that. Work has already started in one part, and we have floated tenders for other parts. And by 2026, Mumbai won't have a single pothole."

But this seems like a long shot. Last November, BMC terminated the contract of Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd to concretise Mumbai roads for not starting the work even eight months after getting the contract.

Later, on December 4, BMC issued fresh tenders to concretise the roads, and on December 14, Bombay HC put a stay on these tenders. Last month, BMC informed the court that the tenders issued in Dec 2023 are cancelled by BMC.

So though the CM has made another promise and issued a fresh deadline, whether Mumbai will actually become pothole-free in the next two years is a picture the people of the city are not holding their breath for.