The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed IIT-Bombay as an independent agency to monitor the quality of work during the second phase of cement concrete (CC) road projects across the city. IIT-Bombay will conduct ongoing audits and ensure that standards are met at all stages, from the CC plants to the curing of concrete roads, and will also perform core tests on the concrete. According to BMC, IIT officials are expected to conduct surprise inspections and visit concrete plants to assess material quality and processes. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar mentioned that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed within a week.

In the meantime, BMC plans to finish the first phase of CC works on 324 kilometers of roads, excluding city portions, by May 31 of the next year. To date, 100 kilometers have been completed, and the remaining work will be accelerated after the monsoon season, starting October 1. Bangar has instructed officials to collaborate with utility service providers, including BMC?s hydraulic engineering, sewerage operations, sewerage projects, storm water departments, and also telecom, electricity, and gas companies. The goal is to coordinate efforts to prevent repeated road excavations and ensure that both BMC and utility agencies' projects proceed smoothly.

In the second phase, BMC will focus on concretizing 1,212 roads totaling 309 kilometers, with work orders already issued. Bangar noted that the completion time for these projects is typically within 30-45 days from the commencement of excavation. Sub-engineers and assistant engineers have been tasked with listing and scheduling the roads for concretization in both phases and are required to review daily progress on-site. Incomplete roads are to be prioritized for completion.