Mumbai – Deputy Chief Minister and Mumbai City Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde announced that all ongoing cement concretization works under the Pothole-Free Roads Project will be completed by May 31, 2025. The announcement came after he inspected key roadworks across the city and eastern suburbs, including Bombay Hospital junction, R.S. Sapre Marg, Jame Jamshed Road in Matunga, and Road No. 21 in Chembur.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is undertaking cement concretization across 400 kilometers of roads. So far, 1,333 kilometers have been completed. The remaining work is progressing in two phases, with a strong emphasis on completing junction-to-junction stretches before the onset of the monsoon.
During his site visits on April 15, Shinde interacted with local residents and emphasized that roads must be made traffic-ready and that manholes and stormwater drains must be cleaned as a priority.
He reiterated that cement concrete roads are the only lasting solution to Mumbai’s chronic pothole issue. “After becoming Chief Minister, I made it a priority to convert Mumbai’s roads to concrete. Once completed, these roads will not be dug up again, and potholes will become a thing of the past,” he said.
IIT Bombay has been appointed as an independent third-party audit agency to ensure high construction standards. BMC engineers and senior officials are overseeing the work on-site. Shinde revealed that contractors delivering substandard work have already been fined over ₹3.5 crore, and warned that repeat offenders will face blacklisting.
Shinde was accompanied by Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, and other senior officials during the inspection.
He also directed that the roadworks must be environmentally responsible—trees should be preserved with proper enclosures, and monsoon plantation drives must be undertaken with the support of local citizens.