Mumbai: As heavy rains continue to lash out in Maharashtra, especially the Konkan region, the roads in most regions have hit massive congestions and traffic due to waterlogging and potholes. Mumbai-Goa highway, infamous for Moon-like craters, have emerged giant potholes making it heavily uncomfortable for travellers especially at the time when huge travels take place to Konkan ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi.
A X account (@ShaileshGavana1) has penned a frustated sarcastic post to the authorities over the potholed expressway thanking them for a "heaven-like" roads in Ratnagiri. In the now viral going post, Shailesh Gavana stated, "मुंबई गोवा महामार्गावर आपले स्वागत आहे. एवढा सुंदर,,चालत्या गाडीत बसून आरामात चहा पिऊ शकतो असा महामार्ग बनवल्या बद्दल आम्ही कोकणकर @nitin_gadkari जी @RaviDadaChavan जी आपले आभारी आहोत ... तुम्ही महामार्ग नाही दिला स्वर्ग दिलाय 😂त्याबद्दल ही आभार"
which translates to "Welcome to the Mumbai-Goa Highway. Such a beautiful highway, where one can sit in a moving car and comfortably sip tea, we Konkankars @nitin_gadkari ji @RaviDadaChavan ji are grateful to you ... You haven’t given us a highway, you’ve given us paradise 😂 Thanks for that too."
A few days ago another video was widely surfacing on social media showing an areial shot of Chiplun's Vashishti bridge where a patch of the road had Moon-like craters. After the video took off on social media, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had tweeted stating "that the Mumbai-Goa National Highway in Chiplun near Vasishthi Bridge does not fall under NHAI’s jurisdiction and is maintained by the NH Division of PWD under the state government."
Mumbai-Goa Highway, A 14-Year-Long Passion Project
The Mumbai-Goa highway project has seen costs surge from Rs 3,500 crore to Rs 7,300 crore over 14 years due to delays and serious pothole issues. Managed partly by NHAI and PWD, it aims to enhance transport and reduce travel time. Recent severe rains prompted Rs 100 crore allocation for urgent repairs, yet poor maintenance and construction delays have led to protests and ongoing safety concerns, especially during festivals.
