NMMC to take over Sion-Panvel highway stretch

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s general body recently approved the civic administration’s proposal to hand over the civic body the responsibility of maintaining and repairing a portion of the accident-prone Sion-Panvel highway.

The general body agreed that the Public Works Department’s failure to maintain the highway was tarnishing the NMMC’s image. The civic body will maintain the 14-km stretch of the 25-km highway that falls under its jurisdiction.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Ankush Chavan said, “Though the highway comes under our jurisdiction, it is maintained by the PWD. The maintenance of the highway is poor and is not at a par with the roads maintained by us. People are unaware of this and blame the NMMC for accidents on the highway.”

Mr. Chavan said the proposal will be transferred to the State government and the Urban Development Department will take the final call on the matter.

Until July this year, 96 accidents had been reported on the highway, claiming 16 lives and seriously injuring 38 people. Senior Police Inspector Ashok Rajput of Nerul police station, “All accidents took place because of the poor condition of the roads. Even after repeatedly notifying officials of Sion Panvel Tollways Pvt Ltd. [SPTPL], no action was taken. We then registered a case and arrested two officials.”

The PWD has given SPTPL the contract to maintain the highway. Vashi police had also registered a case against the firm after a police constable lost his life on the highway after driving his bike into a pothole.

Senior manager and project head Ramzan Abdulla Patel and operations and maintenance manager Sanjeet Srivastav were arrested on September 4. SPTPL vice-president Pavnit Singh Sethi, assistant vice-president Vibhutidutta Satpati and senior manager (maintenance) Kishorkumar Sahu are still wanted in the case.

The case was registered under Section 304 (Part II) of the Indian Penal Code for not carrying out mastic asphalting work on the Uran phata flyover. The police said the firm’s irresponsibility had caused the road to become slippery.

THE HINDU