Corporators feel the heat of Crater Roads

In a rare admission of the liability arising from accidents caused by a road defect, the Berkshire municipal council in the UK recently awarded 7,600 pounds (Rs 4,56,000) to a cyclist who broke several bones after his bike hit a pothole. Closer home in Mumbai, as the ire against the BMC's pockmarked roads rises, the city's elected representatives are facing similar demands, which were even discussed in a meeting on Friday. Andheri corporator Kamlesh Rai was approached last week by a cyclist demanding Rs 900 as compensation after his bike fell into a crater and broke. "The man was a government servant who had recently bought a second-hand bike to commute to work. He had invested some of his savings in the bike. The damage left him heartbroken and he wanted to know if the BMC could compensate him for the loss. I just did not have an answer to his demand," said Rai. Corporators have also been called upon to negotiate and find a middle path. In Malad's Orlem village, for instance, a female corporator was made to come out on the street and help mediate between a biker and civic officials after a pothole accident. hopefully a day will come,when this kind of behaviour could be expected from our municipality members as well