Mumbai’s Rs 14,000 Crore Coastal Road Already In Bad Condition: Pictures Go Viral
In just a little less than a year, the newly constructed Rs 14,000 crore Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Road, or Mumbai Coastal Road, has already started getting patchwork. The reason behind this repair work is the poor quality of work done by the Bombay Municipal Corporation and L&T Construction. Recently, a few pictures and a video showing the newly built Mumbai Coastal Road with patchwork and uneven surfaces have been shared online. This has sparked a controversy as netizens react to this shoddy work.
These images and the video of the Mumbai Coastal Road with repair work have been shared on X by Eternal Drift on their page. In the short video, we can note that there are many patches on the road where additional tarmac has been laid to fill the cracks and potholes. The majority of the patchwork has been done on the left lane of this road.
BMC and L&T Construction being blamed for this poor quality of road
This post has sparked outrage among netizens, and all of them are blaming BMC – Bombay Municipal Corporation, which is one of the richest municipal corporations in India, along with Larsen and Toubro Constructions, for this poor quality of work on the newly built road. For those who may not be aware, Phase I of the Mumbai Coastal Road was inaugurated back in March of last year.
Phase I of this road has been constructed at a total cost of Rs 14,000 crore, and from the video, it is clear that the work has not been done properly. One of the netizens in the comments section stated, “It’s a dishearteningly familiar cycle: infrastructure projects, like Mumbai’s Coastal Road, are often constructed using substandard materials and rushed timelines, only to be showcased as grand achievements.”
The person added, “Yet, within a year, the roads deteriorate into a patchwork of repairs, barely holding together under the weight of traffic and weather—especially the monsoons. To add insult to injury, authorities impose steep tolls, claiming the funds are needed for maintenance. But instead of lasting improvements, the money seems to fuel superficial fixes, leaving commuters frustrated and questioning the value of their investment in these so-called ‘world-class’ projects.”
L&T Chairman’s comments contradict his work
Recently, Sekharipuram Narayanan Subrahmanyan, who is the chairman and managing director of Larsen and Toubro Constructions, came under the spotlight for his comments. He had stated, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier because I work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working.”
As a result of this comment, many netizens have now highlighted that Subrahmanyan’s comments contradict the work done by his company. They have stated that, on one hand, the chairman of L&T claims that he works long hours and even on Sundays, avoiding his family, especially his wife. On the other hand, this is the quality of work provided by his company.
Will Phase II have the same fate?
At the moment, Phase II of the Mumbai Coastal Road, which is approximately 19.22 km long, is under construction. Whether it will also have poor quality of work is unknown. However, many people are guessing that it will be the same as Phase I. Phase II of this road will extend from the Bandra end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Kandivali. It will include a 9.5 km Versova-Bandra Sea Link, and there are plans for two tunnels as well.