VMC Introduces BT Pothole Doctor In Vizag
GVMC has introduced a ₹1.30-crore BT Pothole Doctor machine to speed up road repairs and improve safety across Visakhapatnam.
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has introduced an advanced ‘BT Pothole Doctor’ machine to strengthen road maintenance and ensure safer travel across the city.
The facility, equipped with modern technology, was formally inaugurated on Monday in the South Zone by Visakhapatnam collector and GVMC special officer Abhishikth Kishore, along with commissioner Ketan Garg.
Officials demonstrated the machine’s functioning, which involves cleaning potholes, filling them with bituminous mixture and completing patchwork efficiently. The district collector inspected the repaired stretches and sought details on quality, repair time, operation and maintenance.
GVMC procured the machine for `1.30 crore, with the supplying agency being held responsible for its operation and maintenance for three years.
The machine can repair potholes covering nearly 300 square metres per day, with each patch completed in 10 to 15 minutes. This enables repairs at 10 to 15 locations daily.
A special action plan has been prepared to deploy the machine across all city zones, prioritising major roads, stretches with heavy traffic and those requiring urgent repairs.
The collector directed officials to regularly identify potholes, especially on roads damaged by rains and those with heavy vehicular movement, and undertake immediate repairs. He stressed the importance of quality in patchwork and asked engineering officials to conduct field inspections.
GVMC mechanical wing superintending engineer Royal Babu, engineering officials, South zone staff and other personnel participated in the programme.
