Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the Union government to ensure regular maintenance of the Bakaner Ghat alternative road on National Highway-3 (Indore–Mumbai).
Constructed at a cost of Rs 106 crore, the road developed potholes within six months of completion.
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by social activist and advocate BL Jain of Sendhwa, a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi disposed of the petition while granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the court again if the road deteriorates in the future.
Appearing for the Centre, senior advocate NV Kini informed the court that the 8.8-km stretch was built by a contractor with a five-year guarantee and that damaged portions had already been repaired.
However, petitioner’s counsel Abhishek Tugnawat argued that despite repairs, the riding surface remains poor, affecting smooth traffic movement. He pointed out that more than 450 deaths had occurred earlier at Ganesh Ghat due to frequent accidents, which led to construction of this alternative route, yet its condition worsened rapidly.
Taking note of these submissions, the court directed that the road must be maintained strictly as per norms and standards. With these directions, the PIL was disposed of.
