NEW DELHI: Despite repeated assurances and detailed surveys, the Delhi government’s promises to make the city’s roads pothole-free remain largely unfulfilled, with little transparency on outcomes or failures.
On October 2, 2021, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to eliminate potholes within 10 days and repair broken road patches by October 20 that year, projecting a sense of urgency to ensure smooth travel for the residents of the capital.
A government survey at the time identified 1,357 potholes and 309 damaged patches requiring immediate attention. This was followed by ambitious claims of “large-scale road repair and strengthening,” covering 54 key road stretches across 120 kilometres.
After the new government took office in February last year, the PWD further committed to repairing 7,000 potholes by April. However, the department later admitted that while 6,671 potholes had been identified, repair deadlines were missed, citing environmental restrictions and the Model Code of Conduct ahead of elections. Major arterial roads such as Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Vikas Marg, Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road, and others were listed for extensive repairs, raising public expectations of visible improvement.
Yet, months after these announcements, the government has failed to provide any comprehensive update on how many potholes were actually repaired, how many remain, or whether the original targets were met at all.
Ironically it all began as a promise backed by precise numbers and surveys.