Mumbai potholes have claimed five lives since the monsoon began

Potholes continued to claim lives in Mumbai’s satellite towns of Kalyan and Navi Mumbai as two bikers were killed on Friday. The fatalities again highlight indifference of civic bodies in providing good roads.

A 26-year-old man was crushed to death by a trailer after he fell off his two-wheeler in Kalyan on Friday. This is the fifth such incident in Kalyan, 45km north of Mumbai, since the monsoon.

Kalpesh Jadhav, a resident of Nandkar village in Bhiwandi, had come to Kalyan around 2am for some work. While he was returning, he lost his control over the bike after it hit a pothole on the approach road to Gandhari bridge on Kalyan-Sape road at Chanakya Nagar in Kalyan (West). He came under the trailer and died on the spot. The road was slippery owing to rain. The driver of the trailer fled, said, BA Kadam, senior inspector of Khadakpada police station.

Jadhav, who wedded recently, earned his living by supplying construction material. The accident spot was 4.3 km away from his residence at Nandkar village in Bhiwandi.

Officials of Khadakpada police station filled the deadly pothole with sand, pebbles and brick pieces using a JCB after the death.

“We filled to prevent such incidents. This particular route has continuous vehicle flow between Kalyan and Bhiwandi,” added Kadam.

Staying true to its usual apathy, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) swung into action after one more death. KDMC officials, including its chief Govind Bodke, visited the spot and perfunctorily promised to fill the potholes on the bridge.

The 11-metre-wide and 180-metre-long Gandhari bridge is a major connecting link between Kalyan (West) and Bhiwandi.

In the other incident in Navi Mumbai, a 27-year-old biker died while another suffered severe injuries after their vehicles hit potholes on Thane-Belapur road near Turbhe in early on Friday.

According to the police, Sunny Kumar Vishwakarma, a resident of Ulwe, and Kamlesh Yadav, 28, a resident of Nerul, were returning home from Turbhe. They were riding two different bikes.

KD Raul, assistant sub-inspector from Sanpada police station, said, “Vishwakarma’s father owns a shop at Turbhe Janata Market. The duo was returning home from the shop. As they were crossing the stretch near Turbhe traffic office below the flyovers around 2am, their bikes hit two separate potholes.”

“Vishwakarma suffered severe injuries at different parts his body. He was declared dead in a nearby hospital. Yadav also suffered injuries and was taken to DY Patil hospital in Nerul. He is still under observation,” he said.

According to Raul, the police have found a helmet from the spot. “We suspect that the deceased was not wearing the helmet. He may have survived had he been wearing it,” he said.

With the beginning of monsoon, Thane-Belapur Road has developed potholes at Turbhe, Ghansoli and Rabale.

Earlier on an average 80,000 vehicles would ply on this road daily. However, owing to closure of the Mumbra bypass and the Kopri bridge, the traffic on this road has increase by around 60% over the past few months. Now more than 1.30 lakh vehicles use the road.

The NMMC said it was were planning to repair the road with micro-surfacing technology after the monsoon. “As immediate measure, we are filling up the potholes at different places,” said an NMMC official.