Pothole-ridden Bhiwandi-Wada highway sparks 12-hour rasta roko movement at 9 locations: Locals, students join protest; govt promises action, probe against contractor

THANE: Due to the problems caused by potholes on the Bhiwandi-Wada highway, Shramjeevi Sangathan and local people organised rasta roko movements at nine different places on this highway on Thursday.

This protest lasted for about 12 hours. Along with the members of the Shramjeevi Sangathan, ordinary citizens, businessmen, and students were also seen enduring this protest.The highway is known as the worst road in Thane district, where many big potholes have been seen on the road for years. This important road connects Thane district to Palghar district, and people have been troubled by potholes on this road for years.

The rasta roko was organised by Shramjeevi Sangathan on Thursday, starting at 11.30 am and ending at 11.30pm.During this time, the rasta roko movement was organised at nine places in Bhiwandi taluka, including Ambadi, Kawad, Nadithane, Malodi, Kudus, Dhakivali, Shirishpada, Khandeshwari Naka, and Kaman of Wada taluka. During this rasta roko andolan, the entire road was closed for some time, but later, as a protest, some parts of the road were closed so that the common people did not face any inconvenience.

According to Pramod Pawar, an official of Shramjeevi Sangathan, in the last six years from 2019 until now, the Public Works Department spent Rs 150 to 200 crores on this highway for road repairs. Despite this, the road was not built properly by the contractor Jijau Construction and Mayur Construction, causing a lot of inconvenience for people using this road. Pawar stated that due to the poor condition of this road, many people lost their lives, and the issue of the road was also raised in the State Assembly, where the govt assured action against the contractor.

Despite this, no action was taken against the contractor who did poor quality work.The PWD minister and the Chief Minister's office have taken note of the protest, and Thane District Collector Ashok Shingare has been entrusted with the responsibility of investigating the matter and filing criminal cases against the responsible contractor. A written assurance was given to protestors that an action plan would be prepared for the repair of the roads and its implementation would begin on Friday.

After a detailed discussion on this and other demands, the protest ended at 11:30 pm on Thursday.Recently, due to the poor condition of this road, local Shiv Sena MLA Shantaram More from Bhiwandi rural assembly himself got down on the road and filled the potholes as a protest, ordering the PWD to get this road repaired immediately. Despite this, the condition of the road remains poor.