Bhopal Roads Deteriorate as Monsoon Exposes Potholes and Safety Gaps
There is no official estimate of the number of potholes in the city. However, residents and commuters say roads affected by ongoing infrastructure projects, including areas around Metro construction, have deteriorated significantly. The central road stretch opened after the removal of the dedicated BRTS corridor has also lost portions of its bitumen within two monsoons.
BMC maintains around 3,500 km of roads in Bhopal, while the Public Works Department (PWD) is responsible for another 550 km. However, the precise division of road ownership between agencies is not publicly clear.
In Shyamla Hills, residents say an inner road has remained in poor condition for nearly two years. They have also raised concerns over inadequate storm-water management in the area. A storm-water drainage project taken up under AMRUT has been officially completed, but residents claim it has failed to improve water flow and may have worsened the situation.
Potholes on several roads have become large enough to cause two-wheelers to skid, while uneven surfaces and repeated bumps are adding to the daily burden on motorists and vehicle suspensions.
Officials have attributed the deterioration to heavy rainfall and increased traffic, while patchwork repairs are being carried out. BMC has allocated around Rs 8 crore for road repairs this month, with roughly Rs 10 crore sanctioned overall, according to estimates.
Much of Bhopal's main-road network is covered under maintenance contracts, requiring contractors to repair damage within specified periods. The administration has directed agencies to continue repair work during the monsoon, although larger-scale road repairs are expected to accelerate once rainfall subsides.
Published on:
28 August 2026
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