Mumbai, August 12 (Udaipur Kiran): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered officials to quickly repair the potholes on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Following the Chief Minister’s directive, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has intensified the pothole-filling work. An NHAI official stated that nearly all the potholes on the highway have been filled.
Starting next week, work on the service road will also begin, which will provide further relief to commuters. In the past two days, traffic congestion on the highway has slightly eased, and it is expected that the highway will be completely free of traffic jams in the coming days.
Due to the problems caused by potholes on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, especially between Versova Bridge and Virar Fata, NHAI decided to upgrade the highway from Talasari to Kashimira with concrete (white topping). The central government allocated approximately Rs 621 crore for this project, which began in January 2024.
However, during the monsoon, large potholes appeared on the highway, causing traffic jams and accidents. This led to protests by political parties. In response, a former MP held meetings with departmental officials, and the current MP informed the Union Minister about the issue through a letter. Recently, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gave strict instructions to NHAI officials to fill the potholes as quickly as possible. NHAI officials and contractors took the order seriously and accelerated the work.
NHAI official Sumit Kumar confirmed that almost all the potholes on the highway have been filled, and work on the service road will commence next week. Highway Police Inspector Vitthal Chintaman noted that the work progressed rapidly following the Chief Minister’s order, and the highway is expected to be completely jam-free within the next few days.