Repair of all roads maintained by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will be completed by September 20, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Tuesday.
He said he would go out on an inspection of the roads on September 20.
The KMC maintains most arterial roads in the city, including Rashbehari Avenue, Chittaranjan Avenue, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Asutosh Mukherjee Road, AJC Bose Road and APC Road.
“I have asked engineers to ensure that all roads are repaired by September 20. I will myself go out on an inspection that day to check the condition of the roads,” the mayor said at a meeting of the civic house during the day.
The Telegraph has been writing about the poor condition of roads across the city for quite some time. Roads are broken and battered, and are riddled with potholes.
A 34-year-old man died after a truck loaded with fertilisers toppled and fell on the car he was driving on Dock East Boundary Road, in the port area, on Saturday evening. The road is maintained by Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT).
Residents of the area said the driver might have failed to keep the truck under control while steering clear of craters on the road, leading to the vehicle’s fall.
A senior engineer of the KMC said they had begun repairs and hoped to finish work by the deadline set by the mayor.
“If it does not rain excessively, we will be able to repair the roads by September 20,” said the official.
“These are temporary repairs meant to cover the potholes and lay a bituminous topcoat over roads that were dug for some utility work.”
The KMC will undertake the repairs in a way that they do not leave the road undulated, the official said.
The city police have sent to the KMC a list of 120 potholed roads which they want repaired before Durga Puja.
A few arterial roads are maintained by other agencies.
The state public works department (PWD), for example, is the custodian of Diamond Harbour Road, while the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is responsible for EM Bypass.
Kolkata Port Trust is in charge of the maintenance of 33 roads in the port area.
A PWD official said they had begun repairs of Diamond Harbour Road.
“We will be able to complete the repairs by September 20,” the official said.
A KMDA official said they would prioritise Bypass repairs.
A KoPT official said they had begun temporary repairs of roads under their custody.
“The repairs will be completed in another two or three days,” the official said.
