Cops step in for NHAI, fill potholes on busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway
The police fear that these sinking patches will heighten the chances of mishaps during heavy rain and therefore they must take action
Mumbai: Looking at the severity of the situation caused by deep craters on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway which poses a threat to the motorists, the Pelhar police officials on Sunday took it upon themselves to fill the affected stretch of NH 48.
The officials said waiting for the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to fix the road is no longer an option as it needs immediate fixing.
The police fear that these sinking patches will heighten the chances of mishaps during heavy rain and therefore they must take action.
The uniformed policemen caught motorists by surprise as they arrived with spades and filled the craters with cement at the junction which leads to Palghar and Vajreshwari, a crucial stretch.
After Hindustan Times highlighted the plight of the commuters on the pothole-ridden NH-48 in its edition dated July 20, senior police inspector Jitendra Vankoti said they took stock of the situation and observed that the drivers were getting stuck in traffic for hours due to bad patches.
He also observed that motorists were getting agitated which could become a law-and-order issue. “In order to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control and become a law-and-order situation, my officers took the matter into their hand to fill the potholes with cement at the Pelhar junction,” said Vankoti. “We couldn’t wait any longer for the NHAI authorities to fill the sinking spots,” Vankoti said. The officer also added that several accidents are being reported on this stretch. “The Pelhar junction is crucial as it leads to Wada and Palghar. With the current state of affairs, the motorists take at least an hour to cross the junction,” said Vankoti, who stays in Vasai.
“I too take at least an hour to reach Pelhar police station from my home, though ideally it should take me 20 minutes,” said Vankoti.
Speaking on the efforts taken up by the police to fill the craters, Sumeet Kumar, project director of NHAI, said the contractors appointed by NHAI carry out the repair works but since there might have been an emergency situation, police stepped in to help.
Aaditya slams state govt
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday criticised the Maharashtra government after video clips surfaced on social media showing the policemen filling potholes. He wrote on X, “Instead of the contractor friends of the BJP and ‘mindhe’ regime (government led by CM Eknath Shinde), police are being made to fill potholes. Ever seen a contractor or contracting firm owner being made to fill such potholes by the regime?” He also shared another post on potholes tagging the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) with the comment: “Shame on NHAI.”