MNS clicks Thane’s worst pothole photos, exhibits them in PWD office to protest

Thane MNS leaders and workers on Tuesday held a one-of-a-kind protest at the PWD office over the condition of Ghodbunder Road. The protesters made albums with photos of potholes along with their exact location marked on a map and presented it to PWD officials. MNS leader Swapnil Mahindrakar said he had met PWD officials around 10 days ago and given them a week's time to fix the problem, but the condition remained the same. PWD has now sought 5 days to fix the road.

Following the protest, Public Works Department officials have sought 5 days' time to fill the potholes. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Swapnil Mahindrakar told mid-day, "We submitted the photos and locations of potholes to Vilas Kamble, head officer, Thane Palghar PWD. We had met the officials around 10 days ago and had given them a week's time to repair the potholes. However, no repair work has been undertaken yet."

Also read: Mumbai: Aarey road linking east-west suburbs has over 74 potholes per km

A pothole-ridden stretch on the Ghodbunder Road

"Ghodbunder Road, built around 10 years ago at a cost of Rs 250 crore, is around 13 kms long and connects with several important highways. On an average, around 10,000 vehicles pass by this road every day. And the potholes lead to discomfort of the travellers. When I travelled on the road on September 24, I saw that the potholes were still there. So, I took photos of the potholes along with date, time and the GPS location. I also called PWD officer Suresh Pardeshi, who is in charge of the road, about the condition of the road. He had said repair works were underway but the potholes are still there," the leader said.

Mahindrakar further alleged, "Ghodbunder Road was earlier under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation but it was later handed over to PWD in March 2021. Even since then, the department has not undertaken any work here. The Fountain Hotel patch of the road is the worst. From the way it looks, it seems it can't be repaired but needs to be constructed all over again."

MNS workers talk to officials at PWD office

PWD officer Suresh Pardeshi said, "We are filling the potholes and will complete the work in 5 days. Now that the rain has stopped, we are making tar roads. Earlier we were using cold mix and paver blocks, but the court has now banned the use of paver blocks. We also made a concrete gutter on the Fountain Hotel stretch."

"We have plans to convert this entire road, including around 900 metres in the hill section, to concrete and it will be done in the next 1.5 months. We have already gotten the permission for the same. However, as there is always traffic movement here, we need to implement a block to carry out the work. We are in the process to get permission for the same."

13 km
Length of the road

March
Month in 2021 when the road was handed over to PWD