MUMBAI: A video that went viral on social media, highlighting patchwork on the Mumbai Coastal Road’s northbound stretch near Haji Ali, drew the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday.
A senior officer overseeing the project posted a message on a BMC WhatsApp group saying the video was forwarded by the principal secretary to the Prime Minister to the Maharashtra chief secretary. “This is serious coming from the PMO,” said the officer.
The issue started when X handle @drifteternal on Feb 19 posted a video saying, “This is beyond disappointing…14,000 crore Coastal Road already looks like patchwork. L&T and BMC must be held accountable.”
The post garnered over 2,000 reposts and nearly ten lakh views. Several users questioned whether it happened due to unseemly haste to inaugurate the road before the assembly elections. “In the rush to inaugurate the coastal road, this is what motorists get. Each wants to take credit…and the importance of inaugurating the facility as an achievement during their tenure. Now they have an excuse to dig and repair the road,” posted one user.
BMC officials confirmed the presence of the patchwork, attributing it to joints opening up in the bitumen concrete laid during monsoon. “The asphalting work on the northbound carriageway of the bridge at Haji Ali was completed during the pre-monsoon period, which resulted in some separation at the joints of the work done in the subsequent days. This was temporarily repaired using mastic asphalt during the monsoon to prevent further damage. These patches will be milled as required, and a new asphalting layer will be applied as per the specifications. The work is being planned accordingly,” said the BMC in a statement.
The Mumbai Coastal Road has only been opened up in phases since March 2024 and is yet to be fully commissioned. For the record: first, on March 11, 2024, the southbound road was opened from Worli to Marine Drive; then on June 10, the northbound carriageway was opened up but only up to Haji Ali. The third opening was of the road from Haji Ali to Worli on July 11. On Sept 12, northbound connector to the sea link was inaugurated.
