793 potholes in Thane city, 620 of them filled: Thane Municipal Corporation survey

However, regular commuters claimed that areas like Vartak Nagar, Balkum and Naupada continue to be riddled with potholes, contrary to the Thane Municipal Corporation survey

Following two incidents of pothole deaths in Thane district in the last fortnight, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) conducted a survey that revealed 793 potholes in the city. Among these, 620 have been filled.

Potholes on Majiwada Flyover in Thane. A survey conducted by the TMC revealed that the city had 793 potholes, of which 620 have been filled. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

“The work of filling the other potholes is in progress. The highest among these are in Diva ward with 284 potholes and the least in Mumbra ward with 36,” said an officer from TMC.

Meanwhile, regular commuters claimed that areas like Vartak Nagar, Balkum and Naupada continue to be riddled with potholes contrary to the TMC’s survey.

“The condition of the road near Malhar chowk is in a poor condition. There is hardly any spot where you can find the road . So many potholes exist. Every year, post heavy showers, this is the condition of the roads. They get worse in the coming months during the monsoon,” said Srushti Mane, 33, a resident of Naupada.

In the meantime, Thane district collector has ordered MMRDA and MSRDC to form a dedicated team that would monitor all the roads within the district irrespective of the agency it falls under and payment would be done later by that particular agency to MMRDA and MSRDC.

Kalyan school to protest against traffic congestion

Meanwhile, in Kalyan, authorities of Sacred Heart School have decided to sit on a hunger strike for three days from Thursday to protest against the major traffic disruption on the pothole-riddled road between on the Mharal-Kalyan stretch of the Kalyan-Murbad-Ahmednagar National Highway.

“On Saturday, our students faced difficulty reaching school due to the traffic jam caused by potholes on the Mharal-Kalyan stretch. We have been following up with the authorities and warning them from April about the poor condition of the roads and that they need to be repaired before the monsoon. There have been multiple accidents on this stretch and long traffic snarls. In protest, we will be sitting on a three-day hunger strike,” said Albin Anthony, COO, Sacred Heart School.

The poor condition of the road impacts the daily lives of villagers from Mharal to Kamba as well.