Defunct Street Lights, Unpaved Roads Plague Mihan’s Internal Routes

Nagpur: Once touted as a key infrastructure project, the Multi-Modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (Mihan) has become a hazardous zone for daily commuters, with a growing list of infrastructure failures. Broken and unpaved roads, defunct street lights, and pitch-black underpasses have turned the roads in this industrial hub into a perilous route for motorists, leaving both safety and basic commuting standards in shambles.
The risks are no longer theoretical — as recently a woman was molested and stalked while navigating the unsafe roads of Mihan at night. A police complaint was also lodged at the Hingna police station. The incident has only intensified the concerns of commuters, who already face dangerous conditions due to deteriorating infrastructure and virtually non-existent lighting. What's worse, authorities seem oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
A TOI visit on Wednesday evening, at around 7.30 pm, revealed an appalling state of affairs. Despite the early hour, the entire area was enveloped in darkness. As Team TOI crossed the bridge over Wardha Road leading to Mihan, the drive immediately turned dangerous. The bridge was riddled with potholes, loose gravel, and unpaved patches, forcing vehicles to navigate the treacherous route cautiously. This critical artery, used by thousands every day, is a far cry from the smooth roads one would expect for an industrial hub of this scale.
The situation deteriorated further as Team TOI approached W Building Square and turned towards Khapri Metro Station. Only a couple of street lights were operational, leaving long stretches of the road in near-total darkness. The feeble lighting cast an eerie, unsafe shadow over the route. Commuters were left fumbling their way through with the help of car headlights and, in some cases, flashlights.
The most alarming discovery was the Khapri underpass. A vital connection between Mihan and Wardha Road, the underpass was completely devoid of functional lighting. The few bulbs flickered faintly, barely illuminating the dark, waterlogged passage. Stagnant water filled one corner, turning the already hazardous drive into a risky gamble for any commuter. To exit, drivers had to manoeuvre through a nightmare of potholes, gravel, and jagged surface that hardly qualified as a road.
Motorists who use this route regularly confirmed that these conditions are not a one-off issue but a daily ordeal. "You can't even trust the street lights here — most of them don't work. The few that do are so dim that you need your phone flashlight just to see where you're going," said Arvind, an IT employee working in Mihan.
Women, in particular, face heightened risks. "We are not allowed to work past 7 or 8pm because it's simply too unsafe after that," said Meenakshi (name changed) another female IT worker. "Even when we do work late, we are encouraged to work from home as darkness creeps in as early as 6pm," she added.
Shockingly, Mihan officials seem to be in the dark — both literally and figuratively. A Mihan official told TOI, "We haven't received any complaints regarding these issues. There's a shared platform for reporting, but no grievances have been raised."
Responsibility for the dilapidated underpass lies with MahaMetro, which constructed it and is supposed to maintain it. A senior MahaMetro official said, "We've taken cognizance of the issue, however, we haven't received any official complaints yet. That said, we plan to address the problems on an urgent basis."
However, with roads that resemble obstacle courses and basic safety measures like lighting consistently failing, Mihan commuters are left wondering how long they will be left in the dark. Until authorities act, the vital routes through Mihan remain a daily menace for thousands.