Call for 3rd-party contractor for highway maintenance

Rujuta Parekh / TNN / Updated: Oct 31, 2020, 13:36 IST

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Frequent commuters sought appointment of a third-party contractor for the maintenance of the Pune-Satara highway, after 57 accidents caused 23 deaths on the treacherous stretch from April to September.

Call for 3rd-party contractor for highway maintenance

Commuters said the poor condition of the road was the main cause for frequent tyre bursts and accidents

PUNE: Frequent commuters sought appointment of a third-party contractor for the maintenance of the Pune-Satara highway, after 57 accidents caused 23 deaths on the treacherous stretch from April to September.
Commuters claimed that the road condition had deteriorated during and after monsoon, leading to frequent tyre bursts and accidents. Pavanjit Mane, a city-based IT professional spearheading the movement for the completion of the highway, said, “Potholes along the highway have become deeper.No remedial action has been taken so far. The incomplete stretches have remained untouched. The bad patches catch commuters by surprise and often lead to tyre bursts. If Reliance Infra cannot complete the project, a third-party contractor must be appointed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to maintain the road, if not for completing the project.”

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should immediately take steps to plug the deadly potholes on Pune-Satara highway. It should also take initiatives to fast-track the project and ensure its completion before this financial year ends. If the work remains pending beyond the revised deadline and the highway continues to be a death trap, the authorities should consider suspension of toll collection on the stretch.

SD Chitnis, the general manager of the NHAI, said, “Reliance Infra began the maintenance work earlier this week. Work was undertaken at Khed Shivapur and the Satara end of the highway on Friday. The work along the other stretches is set to begin on Saturday. The authorities at Reliance Infra have also planned to finish requisite work on incomplete patches by March 2021.”

A source in the know of developments related to the project said works amounting to over Rs130 crore were pending. “A third-party contractor can be hired to complete the work if Reliance Infra cannot finish the project,” the source said.
“Union minister for road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari and several others intervened to get the work done. But the project, slated for completion in 2013, continues to remain incomplete. Reliance Infra had assured the collectors of both the districts that the project would be completed by May this year, but that deadline has been missed too,” a commuter said.
Pramod Deshmukh, a driver from Pune, said, “We had a bumpy ride along the stretch last week. Besides, the infrastructure is very poor. The street lamps installed are defunct, there are no sign boards and diversions are not marked. These problems have been there for years now.”

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