‘CM, PWD at fault for potholed road’

NAVI MUMBAI: Kharghar resident and activist Deepak Singh, 34, is all set to file a public interest litigation (PIL) on Wednesday with regard to the maintenance of the Sion-panvel Highway.

In his PIL, he has accused PWD authorities, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for failing to maintain the highway as the potholes developed on the highway has led to many accidents and traffic snarls.

“The CM is equally responsible for the potholes on the highway; he has been to the city on many occasions and has witnessed the bad condition of the road, however, has done nothing to solve the woes of people,” said Singh.

PWD officials had terminated the contract of the agency working for the highway’s maintenance stating that they were doing a shoddy work. Hence, PWD took over the highway’s maintenance in December, 2017.

Kishore Patil, executive engineer, PWD, said, “Rain has led to bigger problems but we are fixing the potholes at major spots like Kopra bridge, Turbhe, Sanpada and Vashi toll naka with asphalt mixture, which quickly thickens. At certain patches, there is a 4-km stretch on the highway that is so battered that the only solution is a concrete road. Once the monsoon is over, we would take up the work and concretize the rough patch. Meanwhile, pothole repair work is in progress.”