Mumbai-Goa Highway journey will remain bumpy for Konkan-bound Ganpati devotees

While the Ganesh festival starts on September 14, the NHAI plans to open the tender to fix nearly 85 km of highway between Panvel and Indapur only on September 2

MUMBAI: Travellers heading for Konkan for the 10-day-long Ganeshotsav are likely to have a tough time driving on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway. The pothole-ridden national highway is likely to remain as bumpy and painful as always, thanks to the delay of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in making preparations for its repair.

Mumbai, India, July 24, 2024: The condition of the Mumbai-Goa Highway, also known as NH66, is poor, with numerous potholes on the old road at Nagothane entry point. July 24, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

While the Ganesh festival starts on September 14, the NHAI plans to open the tender to fix nearly 85 km of highway between Panvel and Indapur only on September 2. This date excludes the time required to scrutinise quotations, formally award the contract and sign it, get a performance security deposit and mobilise workers, machinery and materials.

The condition of the decades-old Mumbai-Goa National Highway, including its upgradation and expansion since 2011, has been consistently poor. In July 2024, Hindustan Times had reported on three national highways linking Mumbai with the rest of India that were in pathetic shape. In December 2025, HT also reported on a young activist, 28-year-old Chaitanya Patil, who walked the entire 490-km NH 66 to inform the authorities about potholes, accident-prone stretches, incomplete works and other hazards that put commuters’ lives at risk.

NHAI floated an “urgent” ₹8.27-crore tender to fix an 84.6-km stretch between Panvel and Indapur on August 18. The bid submission deadline is scheduled for September 1 and bid opening is September 2. The timeline stated in the tender document accessed by HT says that “the contract agreement must be executed within 10 days of the initial security submission”, which means by September 12. Only after this process can a contract be signed. The Ganesh festival starts on September 14, and devotees prefer reaching their native places on the festival’s eve.

According to the document, the potholes and bad patches will be fixed over a period of a year, and the infrastructure company undertaking the job will be liable to fix any defects for the next four years.