Kharghar traffic cops fill potholes on Mumbai’s Sion-Panvel highway to ease congestion

The traffic department on Saturday started filling potholes along a one-km stretch, following which PWD officials repaired that part of the busy road.

With no other option left to decongest the busy Sion-Panvel Highway, which has been seeing severe jams owing to its dismal state, the Navi Mumbai traffic department on Saturday filled up potholes along a one-km stretch themselves.

Traffic officials temporarily filled up potholes with concrete pieces left on the side of the highway during repairs done last year. (HT Photo)

Pravin Pandey, assistant police inspector from Kharghar traffic unit, said they decided to do something after traffic remained blocked near Kharghar for over three hours on Saturday morning. There have been severe traffic snarls on both Panvel and Mumbai side of the highway, near Kopra bridge in Kharghar, because of the potholes.

Traffic officials then temporarily filled up potholes with concrete pieces and rubble left on the side of the highway during the repairs done last year. Pandey said: “The concrete pieces had been left on the divider after the road was repaired last year, so we asked our officials to fill up the potholes with them.”

When officials from the public works department learnt that the traffic police were fixing the potholes, they reached the spot with rollers and started repairs on that stretch of the road, Pandey added. “But it was raining heavily at that time so we are not sure how long the work will last.”

“We are repairing the road in parts. We will continue with the work until the monsoon is over. We have ensured that our officials are doing quality work,” said a PWD official, requesting anonymity.

Traffic started flowing more easily after 12.30pm.