NASHIK
: A 20-km stretch between Ghoti and Kasara, on the
Kasara ghat
, is turning out to be the motorists’ nightmare due to the massive potholes left after the heavy rainfall.
This year, 24 people have lost their lives along the stretch due to accidents, data provided by the Nashik division of highway police revealed.
While rash driving is one of the main reasons for the accidents, the poor condition of the road makes driving difficult for the motorists.
API Amol Valzade of the Ghoti traffic aid post of the highway police said over-speeding, wrong-side driving, illegal parking on the road-side were the main causes of accidents on the stretch.
“We have been taking action against these offenders. We also have a speed-gun enabled vehicle to check speeding motorists. They are issued challans daily,” said Valzade.
Every year, during the rainy season, the highway in this section gets damaged due to the heavy rainfall in the Igatpuri taluka. Even now, this stretch of the highway has several potholes.
Valzade said the continuous rainfall in Igatpuri section causes damage to the road every year. “This is despite the fact that every year, pre-monsoon work is carried out by the toll company,” he said.
Abhay Kulkarni, president of the Nashik First organization which operates the Children’s Traffic Education Park in the city, said, “The condition of the road is extremely bad. There are potholes all over the highway, but mainly near Igatpuri and Shahpur. The NHAI’s practice of filling potholes with paver blocks is wrong.”
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