Mumbai-Nashik Highway: “Fix Potholes, Traffic Issue In 10 Days Or Face Consequences,” warns Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday, August 1, threatened to suspend officials if they did not ease the traffic congestion on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway within the next 10 days.

Additionally, Pawar instructed authorities to present a plan to stop toll collection until potholes are filled and repairs are finished.

In response to this, officials expressed frustration with the contractors’ failure to perform necessary maintenance. They noted that heavy rainfall has caused potholes, making the 170 km trip from Mumbai to Nashik take 8–10 hours, twice as long as it used to.

Pawar directed public representatives and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to inspect the roadway together and record drone footage of damaged areas and potholes. Pawar assured that the Maharashtra government would provide all necessary support.

He then told the PWD’s Manisha Mhaiskar to coordinate with other organisations, including the NHAI, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), traffic police, and the municipal corporations of Bhiwandi, Kalyan, and Nashik.

This came after reports of poor conditions on the national highway. The Mumbai-Nashik Highway is a major route connecting the state capital with northern Maharashtra. The warning was issued during a meeting to address traffic issues caused by potholes and ongoing construction work on flyovers and underpasses.

The meeting included food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, other MLAs from the Nashik region, and additional chief secretaries of the state government’s public works department (PWD), planning department, and finance department.

In October 2021, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced an INR 5,000 crore upgrade for the Mumbai-Nashik national highway. He promised that travel time would be reduced to two hours. Almost three years later, the highway remains in poor condition.

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