Mumbai: Weeks after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched an app for people to register and track complaints regarding potholes, former corporators have criticised the civic body for not revealing real-time data to the public and demanded it be made available to citizens through a live dashboard.
In a letter to civic chief Bhushan Gagrani on Wednesday, former Colaba corporator Makarand Narwekar stated that the recently launched Pothole QuickFix app lacks basic transparency. “It does not display ward-wise or city-wide data on reported, repaired, or pending potholes. This defeats the purpose of public participation in governance,” he said.
Narwekar highlighted the dire state of the A ward in south Mumbai as a stark example of civic neglect, saying that nearly every major road is marred by potholes. “In the absence of elected representatives, it is all the more vital for the BMC to demonstrate transparency and accountability,” he said. The BMC has been run by unelected, government-appointed administrators since 2022, with elections delayed due to a pending court case over quotas and the demilitation of civic wards.
Ravi Raja, former leader of the opposition in the BMC, said the BMC must have a website where real-time updates on potholes can be posted instead of an app, which is not functional and defeats the purpose. “The app is loading photos. As of today, there is no accountability,” the BJP leader said.
Narwekar questioned whether the BMC is withholding data in an attempt to mask administrative failures in executing pre-monsoon works. “If the BMC fails to ensure transparency, it will be construed as a deliberate attempt to hide its inefficiency under the guise of adopting modern technology. Technology should not become a shield to hide inefficiency,” he said.
The former BJP corporator demanded that the BMC immediately integrate a live public dashboard with the Pothole QuickFix app, displaying real-time data on pothole complaints and repairs across all wards. “This will not only instil public trust but also create much-needed accountability among road engineers and officials. Without it, the app appears to be a tool to obscure, not solve, the issue,” Narwekar added.
When contacted, Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said the data will be in the public domain in another seven to 10 days. “We have a pothole-fix app launched two weeks back to lodge complaints, but we will make that data public,” he said.