The Bombay High Court on Tuesday has directed the Maharashtra state, and National Highway Authority of India to tender an undertaking by August 7 on what technique it will be using to fill up potholes on the Mumbai Goa Highway.
"If your (state government and NHAI) work is going on under expert’s supervision, then why are potholes recurring on Mumbai-Goa highway, every year during monsoon?" asked a division bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla.
They court has also asked the authorities to submit a report on the time taken to complete the repair works, and whether the roads will be pothole-free before the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The court has also warned the authorities that it could appoint a third-party agency, to verify if the roads are pothole free.
The bench gave these directions while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Advocate Owais Pechkar, highlighting the problems of potholes on NH-66. The court also suggested the authorities to appoint experts to ensure that even after road widening, potholes don't surface on the highway.
However, in an affidavit filed by the state government, excess rain was blamed for potholes on the highways. "As compared to previous year, 30.73% more rainfall has occurred in the region for on Raigad to Sindhudurg district, which has caused potholes." The affidavit though assured the court that before the Ganesh Festival begins in September, all potholes will be filled.
NHAI in its affidavit also said that due procedure will be followed to ensuring proper filling of potholes. Diversion on the road are to facilitate widening and construction of the four laining of the roads.
On the last occasion, the court was informed that highway was divided into regions and over 350 kilometres is manned by the State. Further around 45 KM road is found to have potholes, and work of filling them up is ongoing at present and would be completed before the Ganapati festival.
It was also mentioned in the report that at a patch between Indapur and Chiplun area, only 7.50 Km road has potholes, of which 5.5 km road repair work is done. Thus it was remarked in the affidavit that the percentage of potholes is very much low and traffic is moving smoothly.
Pechkar in his plea has claimed that festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is approaching in the month of September, where many people will be commuting towards Konkan region, through the NH-66, which will increase heavy traffic on the highway. But due to such bad conditions of roads, it will cause grievous harm to the health and life of the commuters at large.
Further, the plea says that Contract to widening of the highway was given in 2011 but even in 2018, it is yet to be completed. Due to lack of maintenance of NH -66 by the National Highways Authority of India and State Government, it is leading to huge harm and injury to the life of the common public. Thus it violates the fundamental rights under articles 14, 21 of Constitution of India.
The plea prays that appropriate orders be passed to the authorities, to maintain the NH-66 by fixing/filling up the potholes, starting from Palaspe Panvel Raigad- Chiplun-Ratnagiri- Dodamarg Sindhudurg before the start of Ganesh Chathurti Festival season.
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