Environmental NGO Vanashakti has blamed years of unchecked destruction of wetlands, mangroves and low-lying areas in the Vasai-Virar region for the recurring flooding of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. 

In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik and other senior officials, the NGO alleged that repeated complaints over the past decade were ignored, allowing illegal reclamation to continue and crippling one of the state's busiest highways during heavy rain.