The Bombay High Court said it was time the Maharashtra government took note of the poor condition of roads in the state and the failure on part of the civic corporations and district councils to fix potholes.
A division bench of justices A S Oka and P N Deshmukh made the observation while hearing suo motu a public interest litigation on pothole-ridden roads and the increasing number of accidents because of them.
“The time has come for the state government to step in and start monitoring the issue. The state government is not powerless. If local authorities and bodies are not doing anything then the state has powers to take action,” Justice Oka said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation informed the bench that till December 31, 2017, it had received 239 complaints related to potholes in the city, of which 157 were resolved.
A court official told the bench that in rest of the state, 555 complaints were received, of which 477 were yet to be resolved.
The court also sought to know if the traffic police department can help in the issue.
“The traffic police is fully aware of potholes on each and every road… Potholes lead to traffic congestion. They can give a feedback and help local bodies,” the court said.
The bench posted the matter for final hearing on January 19.
