August 9, 2025: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde faced a difficult assignment on Friday, navigating a heavily damaged stretch of National Highway 48 (NH-48) in Thane. His convoy halted at the Ghodbunder Ghat section, where emergency repairs were underway in an attempt to restore public confidence and reduce the risk of further fatalities.
The 120-kilometre Mira Road–Palghar stretch, recently concreted, has deteriorated into a hazardous route. In an extraordinary measure, heavy vehicles have been banned for three days to allow urgent repairs. Shinde, the MLA for Kopri-Pachpakhadi and Thane’s guardian minister, has championed road improvement, pledging a “pothole-free Mumbai” through his ambitious road concretisation programme.
NH-48, a critical artery linking Delhi and Chennai, carries enormous volumes of traffic. Despite a Rs 600 crore overhaul by the National Highways Authority of India in 2003, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad section remains riddled with potholes. Repairs using thousands of concrete blocks last June failed to offer a lasting solution.
The current ban on heavy vehicles at the Gaimukh Ghat section, in effect from 8–10 August, has caused severe diversions. Yet alternative routes such as the Bhiwandi bypass are in similarly poor condition. Commuters report four-to-five-hour delays, and some residents say social events have been cancelled due to traffic chaos.
The mismatched concrete slabs exacerbate congestion as lorries slow to cross uneven joints. From Manor to Virar, motorists face persistent jams, worsened by rains and narrowed lanes for phased repairs. Drivers often travel against the flow to escape the gridlock, adding to the disorder. NHAI officials blame accidents and errant motorists, noting that the original contractor has been blacklisted. Repair work with quick-drying mastic asphalt is now in progress.
The crisis claimed a tragic victim: Chhaya Purab, 49, of Saphale, who died after a four-hour ambulance delay en route to hospital. Struck by a falling tree, she never made it beyond Mira Road due to the gridlock. Doctors said she might have survived if she had arrived just half an hour earlier. NH-48 stands today not only as a failing highway but also as a stark reminder of the cost of neglect and administrative inertia.
Source: Hindustan Times
