Although the BMC filled over 2,000 potholes over the last two weeks, the recent heavy showers added to the number. The BMC is running behind schedule to fill up the craters, and despite the guardian minister’s assurance, the civic body hasn’t managed to meet the August 18 deadline. With the last weekend of the month arriving, Ganesh festival committees are still complaining about pockmarked roads. The Ganesh festival will start on September 7 and big mandals bring their idols three weeks prior. In a meeting with BMC officials on August 6, Suburban Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha instructed the corporation to fill up potholes by August 18, when the big idols start moving to pandals to fit into ambient decorations. 

Even in a meeting of representatives of Ganesh mandals with the chief minister on August 14, civic officials assured to start large-scale action to fill up potholes.
The pothole count by the BMC stood at 13,413 till August 6 (140 unfilled) but increased to 16,145 by August 13, with 148 not filled up till then. More than 2,350 potholes were added to the list in the last two weeks despite hardly two days of heavy showers. As per official figures, as of August 27, 18,499 potholes were reported, of which 88 are yet to be filled up.