After delay, contractor, PWD scramble to fix potholes on Sion-Panvel road

After keeping road repairs in abeyance for months, the contractor and the Public Works Department (PWD), which are locked in war of words over pending dues, have woken up from their slumber to

After keeping road repairs in abeyance for months, the contractor and the Public Works Department (PWD), which are locked in war of words over pending dues, have woken up from their slumber to fix potholes on the Sion-Panvel highway.

The state of the highway near Taloja flyover on Sunday. (Pratik Chorge/ / Hindustan Times)

The PWD has alleged it was forced to undertake road repairs as the contractor , Sion-Panvel Toll Private Limited (SPTPL), has failed to cover potholes. It aims to repair roads by October 15.

Motorists have regularly complaint about potholes and the run-down road, posing risks to their life and limb. Recently, one biker died after his bike hit a big pothole on Juinagar flyover.

It’s a dreadful ride for motorists taking the Turbhe flyover stretch on the highway. (Pratik Chorge/ Hindustan Times)

On the other hand, the contractor, which carried out widening and concretisation of the highway, said the PWD did not release fund, which led to delay in fixing potholes. It claimed that the repair work on the highway will be completed in the next 15 days.

“Due to the state government’s decision to waive off the toll on cars, we are incurring huge losses. The PWD has not disbursed our dues, despite the Bombay high court’s directions. The PWD cannot expect us to perform when we are undergoing severe fund crunch for no fault of ours,” said an SPTPL official.

Interestingly, SPTPL has also come up with an action plan to repair the highway in 15 days by deploying workforce of 35 people.

Read: Errant BMC contractors pulled up, but potholes survived

The PWD refuted the SPTPL’s allegations, saying all dues have been cleared.

PWD secretary SB Tamsekar said, “SPTPL officials are lying. We have paid all their dues. We have decided to repair the highway using our funds, and the expenditure on repairs will be recovered from SPTPL.”

When asked about the action plan, the secretary said that PWD has already started repair works, which will be completed soon.

Vinay Dhoke, a Nerul resident, said, “It is very difficult to ride vehicles especially two-wheelers on the highway due to big potholes. The rides become scary at night.”

Worse, the poor condition of the highway has led to regular traffic jams during peak hours, despite the widening of the road with an addition of five new flyovers.

The newly-concretised part of the highway along the Nerul flyover has broken badly. The size of potholes near Vashi flyover has forced the traffic police to shut a part of the stretch for vehicles.

Transport expert Jitendra Gupta said “Although the contractor lost rights to collect toll from cars, it can collect money from heavy vehicles. So it cannot say that it does not have funds. In addition, the PWD cannot run away from its responsibility of keeping the highway in good health just because a private contractor is maintaining it.”

There are seven flyovers on the highway, which come under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and are maintained by a toll collecting company Mumbai Entry Points limited. An MSRDC official informed that it is in constant touch with the MEPL to cover potholes.