Pune: The state public works department has unveiled a new app — Pothole Complaint Redressal System (PCRS) — that puts citizens in the driver’s seat to report road woes . The digital initiative, launched last week, covers a staggering 1.18 lakh km of state highways and comes with a strict 72-hour deadline for officials to fix reported potholes.
“We have received 138 complaints in the first week and have addressed 49 of them,” a senior PWD (public works department) official told TOI. The app has been in the pipeline for months. It was rolled out after rigorous testing by C-DAC on August 21.
Citizens can download the PCRS app from the PWD website to report potholes on roads. The app uses GPS to identify the location and allows users to upload photos of the damaged road. Under the new system, junior engineers must address the complaints within 72 hours, while deputy engineers have 96 hours to submit a final report.
Failure to meet these deadlines could result in the complaint being escalated to the executive engineer-level, with the possibility of show-cause notices for deliberate neglect. The Amravati region has taken the lead with 62 complaints, closely followed by Pune with 58. Other regions like Konkan, Nashik, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have reported less than five complaints each.
The initiative has received mixed reactions from the public. Mohan Ohol, a frequent traveller, questioned the timing of the launch. “It should have been done in January to ensure good roads by April,” he said.
Road expert Deepali Gandhi raised concerns about the efficacy of temporary repairs during the monsoon season. “One heavy spell and it’s all washed away, posing more risk to commuters,” she said. The PWD has assured of strict monitoring from November for permanent solutions to road issues.
We also published the following articles recently The Pothole Paradox: NMC Claims Its Repairing More, Roads Remain Broken A survey from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation revealed 714 potholes on 451 city roads, sparking public frustration over NMC's maintenance. Despite repairing 2,298 potholes, many roads, particularly in Dharampeth, remain unsafe. Citizens are urging the NMC to implement durable, long-term solutions for improved road safety.
Thammanam-Pullepady Road widening: Corp starts steps to hand over land to PWD Kochi corporation is in the process of handing over land acquired for widening the Thammanam-Pullepady Road to the PWD and Kerala Road Fund Board. The project seeks to expand the road from Padma Junction to Chakkaraparambu, targeting an increase in road width to 22 meters to ease city traffic. Collector seeks report on condition of roads NSK Umesh, the district collector of Kochi, convened a meeting where he asked various departments for a status report on the city's roads.
Kochi corporation officials reported filling potholes on 70 roads. The PWD highlighted that while major roads are in good condition, some interior roads still have potholes. Police have been asked to report any visible potholes.
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