Commuters on the Bhiwandi-Wada Road a vital link to Thane, Mumbai, and Gujarat are risking their lives daily due to countless potholes that have emerged following continuous rainfall. Several stretches of asphalt in Bhiwandi have deteriorated, resulting in deep craters that pose serious safety hazards.
The poor condition of the road has not only caused frequent traffic snarls but has also led to injuries among motorists, including chronic back pain for daily commuters. A few months ago, local MLA Shantaram More from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), along with party office bearers, took it upon himself to manually fill potholes with stones an act that gained attention on social media.
A few months ago, a major traffic jam lasting nearly three hours was reported in Borpada village after a heavy vehicle overturned due to the poor road condition. “We have been facing these problems for years, but no concrete solution has come forward,” said a frustrated commuter.
Pothole-Ridden Bhiwandi-Wada Road |
A businessman who runs a medical shop in Kawad village shared, “I left my home in Bhiwandi for work but had to endure a bumpy ride over countless large and small potholes. Authorities have paid no attention to fixing this stretch. I often suffer back pain after riding through these roads.”
Commuters often remain stuck in traffic for hours due to accidents or mechanical failures of heavy vehicles trying to navigate the damaged road. They also complained that the road concretization work has been delayed for over a year.
Despite numerous protests by villagers and political parties over the poor condition of the road and the substandard quality of concrete work, authorities have done little to resolve the issue. Shramajivi Sanghatana and hundreds of villagers from Wada, Thane, and Palghar recently staged simultaneous road blockades at 12 key locations. Protesters described the pothole-ridden roads as “death traps,” especially during the monsoon season. They demanded immediate repairs to the Bhiwandi-Wada and Bhiwandi-Vasai routes.
More than a dozen villages are situated along the Bhiwandi-Wada Road, including Angaon, Parivli, Kudus, Dugad Phata, Borpada, Kawad, Nandi Thane, Lamaj, Mahapoli, Chhava, Bhara, Ambadi, Shelar, and others.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Dattu Gite, a PWD officer from Thane, said, “We have issued orders to the contractor to fill the potholes immediately.”
According to PWD officials, the road concretization work is being handled by two companies: Eagle Company and Jijau Company. Eagle Company has been awarded a contract worth ₹777 crore for the Shelar-to-Manor stretch (excluding patchwork), while Jijau Company has been assigned patchwork worth ₹45 crore between Shelar, Borpada, and Ambadi. The work orders were issued in 2024, with a completion deadline of 2027. Authorities have warned that action will be taken if the contractors fail to meet the deadline.
