Engineer held over shoddy work on Mumbai-Goa highway

According to the police, 97 people died in 170 accidents on the stretch from 2020 to date. Representation Pic/Nimesh Dave

The Mangaon police in Raigad district have filed a case of culpable homicide against Chetak Enterprises, the contractor allegedly responsible for shoddy work on the Mumbai-Goa highway which resulted in 170 accidents in which 97 people died and 208 sustained serious injuries from 2020 to date.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had filed a complaint against the contractor, leading to the arrest of the firm's project coordinator, engineer Sujith Sadanand Kawle. The police found that the contractor had not installed signboards at many spots on the highway, contributing to the accidents.

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According to the police report, the highway stretches 26.7 km from Indapur to Badpale. Work on the four-lane stretch was started on December 18, 2017, after a joint venture was signed between Chetak Enterprises Limited and Appco Infrastructure Limited on June 1, 2017, through a tender called by the Central government.

The stretch

"The government had transferred 91.80 per cent of unencumbered land required for highway modernisation work, which was to be completed by the contractor within two years. Even after the expiry of the deadline, the contractor did not complete the work at the rate of 10 per cent per month during the extension period. Only 4.6 per cent of the work was done. The contractor was issued a show-cause notice thrice by the highway authority," said a police officer.

The police stated that in some stretches where the work was completed, drivers were forced to take dangerous diversions. While parts where work was underway were pothole-ridden. "At spots where work was incomplete, no safety measures were put in place to ensure the safety of motorists. As those travelling on the highway were unaware of the condition of the road, many motorists lost their lives or suffered as well as minor injuries," said a police officer.

As per the police, Chetak Enterprises failed to use thermoplastic paint (white strips) or install cat's eyes, delineators, information/notification boards or get rid of unauthorised road dividers. On the complaint of a project engineer, the Mangaon police registered a case under Sections 105, 125 (a) (b) and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita against Chetak Enterprises, Chetak AACO (JV), the project's managing director Hukmichand Jain, general manager Awadhesh Kumar Singh, Kawle and others. "Kawle has been arrested. The investigation is being carried out by the Mangaon police," said Somnath Gharge, superintendent of police, Raigad district.