So, with Patil himself at the wheel of his Honda City from Mantralaya, three IAS officers of the rank of additional municipal commissioners, Ashish Singh, Aseem Gupta and Manisha Mhaiskar, were taken on a drive across the Marine Drive stretch and then back.

“Every day while coming to work here from home I ride on the bumpy road. In fact, the pothole at one spot (near Islam Gymkhana) was the largest and as my car would hit it I would know I had reached Marine Drive. Thankfully, the pothole was temporarily filled today,” Patil said.

The NCP MLA from Sangli deliberately drove through bad patches so that the officials got a first-hand experience of what he was trying to explain. “After some time I was told to stop putting the car in potholes,” Patil said, adding he was upset with the dismal road condition of Mumbai.

“Potholes shouldn’t form on the roads in the first place. The roads should be made of good quality and as per specifications so that the question of potholes and repairing them every year does not arise,” he said.

The drive was a part of meeting on Mumbai’s road condition and the traffic congestion the bad patches cause during the monsoon. The minister has given the BMC 10 days to fill all the potholes and undertake repairs “on a war-footing”. A review of the repaired roads will be taken after that. 

Patil said it is hard to believe how Mumbai is still not able to keep its roads in good conditions while cities with much more traffic and rain are able to ensure a smooth ride. “Before trying to make Mumbai an international city there should be good roads. Instead of a smooth ride we always have bumpy ride with smooth patches in between,” he said. Mhaiskar said the minister’s directives would be implemented and repair work is under way. “It was an educative drive,” she said.