07 July,2025 10:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajit Pawar. File Pic
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari seeking immediate repairs of Pune-Nashik and Nashik-Mumbai national highways, reported news agency PTI.
Both highways have developed large potholes and are in extremely poor condition, and the deteriorating state of these roads has led to a surge in accidents, posing serious threat to commuters, Ajit Pawar said in his letter.
"The Pune-Nashik highway holds significant importance for industrial, commercial, and passenger traffic. However, the road is currently dotted with deep potholes at several locations, causing substantial damage to vehicles and leading to an increase in accidents. Citizens are bearing the brunt in terms of time loss, fuel wastage, and mental distress," he said, reported PTI.
Pawar said there has been no visible improvement in the quality or safety of the road despite regular toll collection on the route.
He also cited the hazardous conditions on the Nashik-Mumbai highway, particularly in Kasara Ghat and Igatpuri areas, and said poor road quality, substandard diversions, and incomplete bridgework are endangering commuters, reported PTI.
Serious accidents have also been reported on this route, the Deputy CM added.
Pawar requested that a thorough inspection of both highways be conducted and immediate repair orders be issued.
Meanwhile, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said his government's policies were aimed at reducing poverty and creating jobs, as he cautioned against economic liberalisation that could lead to concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, reported PTI.
"Our objective is to create an economic option that will eliminate poverty, create jobs for youth and lead to creation of wealth," he said in his address at the National Conference of CA Students-2025 and added "we need such an economic option", reported PTI.
He said previous governments under P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh adopted an economic liberalisation framework.
"But with economic liberalisation, we should also make sure that there is no centralisation of the economy. It should not be that the number of poor is slowly increasing while wealth is getting centralised in the hands of a few," the minister cautioned.
"There has been a sea change in the economic landscape (in the last decade) and your role is crucial in this change," the minister said, reported PTI.
At the event, Gadkari also touched upon a range of issues, including agriculture, manufacturing, taxation and public-private partnerships in infrastructure development.
(With inputs from PTI)
