Risk on NH48! Divider razed to help vehicles cross over

Vasai: Danger looms on Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway, also known as NH48. Short cuts have been created illegally by breaking down portions of the highway divider to facilitate easy access for vehicles to cross over from one carriageway to the other, posing a threat to lives of motorists. A tragedy was averted on the national route recently.

Here's how illegal shortcuts are made. A part of the divider is demolished, typically close to commercial establishments along the highway so that vehicles on the other side do not have to go through the rigmarole of traversing a distance, and taking a U-turn to visit the commercial establishment.

Recently, a collision between two vehicles was averted on NH48 due to one such unauthorised crossing at Manor in Palghar district. Near Avadhani village, a Gujarat-bound bus, with passengers on board, used one such illegal cut to cross over to the carriageway leading towards Mumbai to halt at a dhaba. Later, after the meal, as the bus was getting onto the other side of the highway, to head towards Gujarat, using the same shortcut, an oncoming dumper rammed into the bus. While the bus was damaged, people in both vehicles escaped unhurt.

These illegal shortcuts have so far remained unchecked to by National Highways Authority of India and local enforcement agencies. Attempts by TOI to contact National Highway Authority of India's general manager (Technical), Sumit Kumar, did not yield any response.

Sushant Patil, president of Bhumiputra Foundation, a local non-profit body, said that the illegal shortcuts are in blatant violation of road safety norms. He pointed out that such unauthorised shortcuts exist between Sasupada and Maljipada (Naigaon), and said they are used by ready mix concrete trucks and other heavy vehicles.

"Somehow, the authorities choose to stay quiet," Patil alleged.

A local activist from Boisar, Harbans Singh Nanade, alleged that the national highway authority is creating disaster points through these illegal shortcuts. "We have demanded more traffic wardens be posted at points along the highway where construction activity is in progress. All the illegal cuts should be closed immediately and a third party audit must be conducted to analyse the reasons for accidents on NH48, he added.

These illegal shortcuts put to risk lives of passengers on buses and crew members of buses besides that of other motorists, he said.

Another such regularly used unauthorised road cut is at Dhaniwari village in Dahanu taluka where busses line up for meals, risking lives of passengers.

Assistant police inspector Pawankumar Thakur of Highway State Police said they have written to the highway authorities to close the illegal gaps. "Time and again, they have been apprised of this problem," Thakur said.

Patil said that National Highways Authority of India should be held accountable for allowing such dangerous practices to persist. "Repeated accidents and citizen complaints are being ignored — this negligence is unacceptable," he said, adding that a complaint has already been submitted to guardian minister of Palghar district, Ganesh Naik.

On an average, over 1,000 such trucks use the shortcuts TOI has learnt.