The Delhi government on Tuesday will attempt to set a world record by filling 3,400 potholes across the National Capital Region in just one day, according to the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh on Monday. The PWD is currently identifying and geotagging all the potholes on the 1,400 km road network under its jurisdiction. The government plans to repair 500 km of roads by next March.

The move, just before the monsoons, will also help ease traffic congestion, according to Minister Singh, who said, “It is not that no work has been done in the last four months. Pothole repair has been going on, but with the monsoon approaching, we have decided to repair 3,400 identified potholes in a single day. This is not just a repair drive or a symbolic event, but the beginning of a transparent and accountable system.”

Minister Sahib’s Statement

“…In the past four months, work has been underway to repair the roads. We have repaired around 150 km of roads, and around 100 kilometre stretches have been identified,” he added.

“When work is done without corruption, potholes won’t even appear after construction. When work is done according to PWD-defined standards, the public won’t suffer. That is our resolve,” said Sahib Singh, targeting the previous AAP government. According to him, this will be the first-of-its-kind world record attempt by the Delhi government, where around 200 maintenance vans with mixed material ready will go around the city, filling the potholes. Before-and-after pictures of the potholes will be uploaded on the PWD website along with their locations.

“More than 1,000 persons, including 70 assistant engineers, 150 junior engineers, workers, and supervisors will be deployed,” said the PWD minister.