Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Noendtopotholeordeal, commuterssuffer
ROADS UNSAFE Even after numerous accidents this monsoon, the authorities have failed to find a permanent solution to potholes like every year, say residents
›“A thorough inquiry should be initiated when roads are riddled with potholes. A complaint against the contractor and officials involved should be filed. But everyone is aware of the shoddy work and no action is taken. SANJIV SANE, president, Thane Matdata Jagran Abhiyan › We have been highlighting the problem by mocking the authorities as nothing has worked. Despite mockery and constant complaints, there has been no change. Before an important event or a VIP visit, officials fill potholes and then forget about the problem. KASBER AUGUSTINE, founder, Thane Citizen Foundation ›“Thane is known as city of lakes but with the increasing number of potholes, we hope it will not be called a city of potholes. The ministers did not bother to make any effort to improve the situation of the roads and make travel safer. CHETNA DIXIT, secretary, Thane Matdata Jagran Abhiyan
THANE: Seven pothole deaths have been recorded in Thane district since July.
Politicians’ earlier outrage over potholes and the promise to waive toll has been forgotten after the elections.
For the commuters, it is an everyday ordeal to travel on bad roads.
After a 23-year-old doctor died at Wada-Bhiwandi road on October 10, residents protested against the ill-maintained road.
This forced the public works department (PWD) to stop the toll collection on this route.
“The step was only taken after a life was lost. Residents protested for three days after which the toll collection was stopped. Although they have filled the patches, they have done a shoddy job,” said Pramod Pawar, president, Shramjeevi Yuva Sanghatna.
A few hours after the doctor’s death, a 22-year-old biker died after his vehicle hit a pothole and he was run over by a trailer on Mumbra-Shilphata earlier this week.
“Not only are there potholes at Shilphata but the Mumbra bypass that leads to Shilphata are also in a bad condition. At some places, the iron rods on the road jut out, posing danger to motorists,” said Ashwin More, 42, resident of Mumbra.
Residents, activists and commuters are irked by the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities to provide basic infrastructure facility.
Ghodbunder Road, which sees more than 10,000 vehicles a day, is riddled with potholes, creating traffic snarls every day. The long stretch of road is managed by both MSRDC and TMC in different areas.
“The road is a patchwork of different materials —concrete, asphalt, paver blocks and some craters are filled with mud. This makes the road uneven, making it difficult for one to drive and this often leads to accidents,” said Vivek Pansare, 35, a resident of Waghbil, Thane.
TMC has started a drive to fill potholes.
Anilkumar Gaikwad, joint managing director, MSRDC, said, “We have been taking measures to ensure patches are filled. Because of the unpredictable weather, we had to continue using cold mix and paver blocks to fill potholes. However, now that there is no rain and we have begun filling them with hot mix, which is more durable.”
Repair work is on at KalyanBadlapur Road, where a police constable died after hitting a pothole. The road work was started on the patch five months ago by laying paver blocks along the road. They are now putting asphalt after removing the paver blocks.
A senior officer from MMRDA, said, “The Kalyan
Badlapur road work is ongoing and will take a few more months to complete, however the road in the centre is free for vehicular movement. The road widening process will be completed positively in less than a year.”
A police officer on condition of anonymity said, “It has been over nine months that the road work started on Kalyan-Badlapur road. The potholes have become bigger after monsoon.”
Residents are fed up complaining. Nishant Bangera, 26, a regular commuter on Ghodbunder Road, said, “There is no particular body that focusses on maintenance of roads or potholes. The common man does not know whom to complain. With the civic body hardly taking steps to make roads better, commuters suffer.”