Pay ₹3,66,000 fine for 'creating' potholes in Mumbai: BMC tells Lalbaugcha

Mumbai's civic body has imposed a fine of ₹3.66 lakh on the Lalbaughcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsava committee for creating around 183 potholes in the city during the recently held Ganeshotsav this year.

The Lalbaughcha Raja is Mumbai's most prominent Ganesh mandals attracting thousands of devotees from across the country during the ten-day long festival.

The Brihanmubai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the civic body, has imposed a fine of ₹2,000 for every pothole found on the road.

"Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation imposes a fine of ₹3.66 lakhs on Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal for creating 183 potholes on the road during Ganeshotsav this year; fine of ₹2000 per pothole," the Mumbai civic body said in a statement.

According to a report by Indian Express, BMC officials inspected the roads after the Ganeshotsav festival to the organising committees or mandals damaged the roads by digging them to affix bamboo sticks. The civic officials found that the stretch of road between Dr Babasaheb Road and TB Kadam Marg has been damaged.

The BMC is collating data for collecting fines from other mandals as well. A BMC official told the daily that they have collected data from 12 municipal wards out of which only Lalbaughcha Raja has been penalised.

The civic body will soon finalize the list of the remaining 12 wards.

Notably, BMC has imposed penalties on mandals in the past as well for creating potholes in Mumbai. In 2017, they were fined ₹4.86 lakh, while in 2015, they were penalised to the tune of ₹3.36 lakh, and in 2014, the committee was fined ₹5.56 lakhs, the daily added.