E-Paper
Varandha ghat to remain closed for repairs from February 10
The Varandha ghat on Bhor-Mahad road will remain closed from February 10 to April 30, 2021, for landslide prevention work
The Varandha ghat on Bhor-Mahad road will remain closed from February 10 to April 30, 2021, for landslide prevention work.
The Varandha ghat is an important traffic route for commuters travelling from Pune to the Kokan region. The ghat is 108km from Pune and bisects the Sahyadri range to join Bhor to Mahad.
The Public Works Department (PWD) will be starting work for a protection net on this stretch which is 10-kilometres long.
“There are sharp turns in the ghat section and it is necessary to increase the height of existing and newly constructed safety walls. For this work, heavy construction vehicles, materials will be needed. As the ghat road is already narrow, we have decided to close the road for all kinds of vehicles. The road will remain closed for 80 days,” said Ratnakar Bamne, PWD executive engineer.
The state government has approved ₹5.40 crore for the construction of wall and protection net in the ghat area (Mahad side).
On August 13, 2020, a landslide had occurred due to heavy rains due to which the ghat was closed until November 2020, for repair work from Bhor.
“The plan is fixed for the work so there will be no delay from our side and it will be completed until April 30,” added Bamne.
Prashant Kakde who regularly travels to Konkan through this route said, “It is good that the PWD has taken this work before monsoon season starts and now the ghat will be more safer than before.”
