Bhiwandi, Nov 26: The key highway connecting Thane and Palghar districts, the Bhiwandi–Wada Road, has deteriorated drastically, causing severe inconvenience to commuters and raising serious public health concerns.
Massive potholes, unattended construction work, and clouds of dust have sharply increased air pollution levels, making daily travel hazardous for students, office-goers, and local residents.
Locals complain that dust generated from the dug-up stretches of the highway has led to a spike in respiratory and throat-related illnesses. Meanwhile, the ongoing demolition work carried out by the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation from Anjurphata to Kalyan Naka for road widening has pushed the city’s air pollution levels to alarming highs, posing a serious risk to citizens’ health.
Crores spent but work crawls; poor quality alleged
Residents allege that despite crores of rupees already sanctioned, the concretisation work on the Bhiwandi–Wada highway, underway for the past three to four years, remains painfully slow and of poor quality.
Locals claim that construction machinery has been lying idle for over a month, while large portions of the highway have been dug up and abandoned without any warning boards or signages.
The lack of proper directions has resulted in frequent traffic jams and a rising number of accidents, especially during the monsoon. Heavy and long-distance vehicles passing through the dug-up patches kick up thick layers of dust, drastically reducing visibility and endangering motorists.
Ganesh Patil, a school teacher who travels daily from Ambadi to Bhiwandi, said heavy vehicles raise so much dust that motorists behind them cannot see the road at all—leading to more accidents.
A similar situation persists on the Anjurphata–Chinchoti Road, which links the region to the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway, where residents, students, and office-goers say dust pollution has become unbearable. They have urged local elected representatives, MLAs, MPs, and civic authorities to intervene immediately.
Pollution levels in ‘Very Poor’ category
Bhiwandi’s air quality has sharply worsened. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s current AQI stands at 273, categorised as Very Poor and posing potential health risks.
Recent AQI readings:
Nov 19 (Wed): 161 – Poor
Nov 20 (Thu): 183 – Poor
Nov 21 (Fri): 193 – Poor
Nov 22 (Sat): 204 – Very Poor
Nov 23 (Sun): 194 – Poor
Nov 24 (Mon): 202 – Very Poor
Nov 25 (Tue): 202 – Very Poor
Officials respond
Suresh Mhatre (Bhalya Mama), MP, Bhiwandi, said, “The contractor has already received funds to complete the work. The Bhiwandi–Wada road work must be expedited. I will question the PWD officials and urge them to speed up construction.”
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Dattu Gite, Deputy Engineer, PWD, defended the pace of work: “The project has been awarded to Eagle Company as per the tender. Work has started from three points—one from Bhiwandi and two from Palghar. I do not agree that the work is slow. Drainage construction is underway, and the road cannot be completed until that is finished.”
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