Despite paying a hefty toll at the various toll nakas to exit and enter the city, all motorists get are pot-holed roads, no street lights and a virtual death trap at night
Despite paying a hefty toll at the various toll nakas to exit and enter the city, all motorists get are pot-holed roads, no street lights and a virtual death trap at night
This is part of MiD DAY's month-long audit of experiences of travelling in and out of the city, where we take up people's issues and place them before the authorities to address.
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Though motorists pay a substantial amount as toll to use the national highways connecting the city to the rest of the nation, all they get in return are pot-holed roads, bad street lights, lack of lane demarcation and a pretty bumpy ride that will land the driver in the hospital and the vehicle in the garage both seeking a major makeover.
MiD DAY had carried out a series of campaigns across major National Highways and found that the roads did complete justice to the campaign, Highway to Hell.
MiD DAY revisited these spots and here is what we found:
NH 8
(Mumbai-Ahmedabad)
If we talk about the prestigious NH 8, which connects Mumbai to Ahmedabad the road is still in pretty bad shape. Gigantic potholes and missing dividers continue to greet motorists on the route. The bumpy ride commences right after crossing the Dahisar tollnaka, and continues through Kashimira all the way up to Silvasa. To add to that the number of accidents and casualties have also been on the rise. The condition of roads near Ghodbundar toll naka painted a grim picture as well.
Commuter speak
We pay hefty amount as toll charges, but who cares about the motorists? There are no proper dividers on the road, and it is very risky to drive at night. Also, the potholes on this road are a major issue but have never been addressed by the authorities.
Sandeep Sharma, a Mira Road-based transport manager
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NH 3
(Mumbai-Nashik)
Moving on to Mumbai-Nashik Highway, also known as NH-3, the ride from Mulund up to the Thane Toll plaza was a smooth one. However, once we tipped the toll and crossed over, the ground beneath our tyres seemed to just vanish in thin air. Craters or should we still call them potholes marred our drive ahead and almost broke the axle of the vehicle.
Commuter speak:
I use this road almost twice a week, and a major part of the road is in good shape but the road between Shahpur and Kasara is really bad. The potholes on this stretch have increased in size owing to lack of maintenance.
Mahesh Maneshinde, a Nashik-based businessman
NH 17
(Mumbai-Goa)
Vadkhal Naka, which is a major transit junction connecting Alibaug and Goa, continues to be the worst road when it comes to ditches and potholes. The NH 17 is riddled with accident spots and the numbers have been on the rise through the year.
Commuter speak
This road is in very bad shape. Every year we see the contractors repair the roads, but as they are using materials of poor quality the potholes emerge again.
Vasant Naik, a resident of Alibaug
The toll saga is not unknown to politicians either. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan and home minister R R Patil also voiced their concern over the bad condition of the roads. In December last year, PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal ordered the closure of 23 toll nakas across Maharashtra for not being able to maintain roads despite collecting tolls on the route.
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MiD DAY series
In September 2009, MiD DAYu00a0 started a campaign on the poor condition of roads on the major highways where the tolls are being collected but hardly the roads are repaired.
Reader feedback
Here are some readers' responses u00a0to the report carried yesterday:
I appreciate your effort in highlighting and publishing the problems that plague the LTT Kurla and Bandra Terminus.
Long distance passengers have been facing such issues on a daily basis and with no sign of a respite. The RTO and Mumbai Police department should take some initiative from MiD DAY and put a stop to these problems permanently.
Sunny C Mathew
Many taxi drivers take passengers for a ride, particularly foreign tourists. It's high time the traffic police put a check on these erring taxis. There are no clear guidelines for the benefit of the passengers and the taxi drivers take advantage of that.
Bhagwan Thadani
I completely agree with the point raised in your article about the high handedness of the taxi drivers at the mentioned stations. Not only do they ask for ridiculous fares, but also flatly refuse to ply on metered fare to any part of the town. To say the least we are living in a rapidly developing economy, which does not have the basic infrastructural facilities is a shame. Please ask the Transport Minister to travel on these routes and he shall get a reality check. How long will we Mumbaikars keep tolerating this? It's high time this menace is got rid of.
Ritesh Sheth
Toll trail
> Toll nakas generate maximum revenue for the government exchequer
> The total number of toll nakas closed by PWD and MSRDC after the role of these toll nakas were questioned by commuters and the activist has now gone up to 17
> Out of the approximate 2.5 lakh km of roads all over Maharashtra, toll is collected over 4,000 km of the roads.
So far in the campaign...
Up in the air
To kickstart the campaign, MiD DAY aired passenger complaints regarding airlines misplacing, mishandling and damaging their luggage.u00a0
Following up on fleecing cabbies at the airport, we found that though police crackdowns have helped keep the menace in check, ingenious cheats still manage to trap the odd gullible passenger.
We reported on how smartly-dressed touts sporting fake uniforms of reputed hotels take tourists for a ride at the airport. They cheat them of foreign currency, get them cabs with hiked fares and then dump them at cheap hotels
Down by the tracks
A tour of urinals at railway stations on the central and western lines revealed that they not only raise a stink and are unusable but are also breeding grounds for diseases
Taking the road less travelled
MiD DAY took a bone shattering ride alongside regular passengers of MSRTC buses only to find that, barring a few exceptions, they continue to be as rickety as ever
MiD DAY found that passengers coming into the city by train are left to the mercy of the auto and taxi mafia outside stations who shun meters and quote ridiculous fares
Writeu00a0To Us
Motorists have had a bumpy ride across toll nakas exiting as well as entering the city. Have you had a
back-breaking experience on such a road?u00a0 Write in with your thoughts and stories at inandout@mid-day.com
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