Why Bombay HC called Thane’s crucial Ghodbunder Road ‘worst nightmare’

What did the judges say?

The judges expressed displeasure over the improper maintenance of the roads and said that if authorities don’t barricade areas around potholes, accidents are bound to happen.

Justice Patil said, “Ghodbunder Road is one of the worst nightmares” despite being a major road with a heavy presence of commercial vehicles plying on it.

“They ply because it is a major link to Thane, Mumbai, Nashik, Gujarat. Still you (authority concerned) don’t maintain it? The government should look into it,” the judge said.

The court asked authorities to expedite the process and ensure they do not wait till the next monsoon to address the pothole situation.

Why was the matter in court?

The HC Bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sandesh D Patil was hearing a suo motu PIL raising concerns over potholes in Mumbai and other civic areas in Maharashtra. One of the interim applications, filed by a city-based lawyer, cited news reports and raised concerns over nearly 18 deaths in Thane this year, including those on Ghodbunder Road.

The lawyer claimed that “shockingly,” nearly 18 people died between January and October due to pothole-related mishaps. The plea stated that Ghodbunder Road, which starts from Kapurbawdi junction near the Eastern Express Highway and ends at Ghodbunder village, links to the Western Express Highway. It added that the nearly 20-kilometre stretch is managed by various authorities, including the Thane Municipal Corporation, the Public Works Department, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

However, the plea claimed that due to a lack of coordination between the authorities, multiple projects are being conducted at the same time along this route, resulting in severe traffic congestion.

The court was told that accidents due to potholed roads have been a regular occurrence over the past few years. The lawyer also raised concerns over traffic jams on Ghodbunder Road for hours, saying that as a result, ambulances were not able to reach hospitals on time.

What makes Ghodbunder Road crucial?

A key arterial road cutting through Thane city, Ghodbunder Road connects the eastern suburbs of Mumbai from the Eastern Express Highway with the western suburbs of Mumbai near the Western Express Highway. What further increases vehicular congestion is that Ghodbunder Road is also full of to-and-fro traffic from several service roads and slip roads of flyovers that open into the main carriageway.

The road commences from Majiwada junction in Thane and spans over 10 km to Gaimukh, from where it extends up to the Mira-Bhayandar junction.

What has led to an increase in traffic in recent years?

Among the key projects impeding traffic along the thoroughfare is the work on Metro lines 4 and 4A along Ghodbunder Road, with several stations, including Kapurbawdi, Manpada, Tikujiniwadi, Vijay Gardens and Karsavadali, running parallel to this route. Officials from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and locals said that barricades around the metro pillars and digging and excavation for the project have eaten into the main carriageway.

Furthermore, construction work to merge service roads with the highway have added to the traffic woes.

Pointing to the increasing number of potholes, Rohit Joshi, a Thane resident and activist, said, “Potholes are another major impediment while traversing Ghodbunder Road, especially for bikers. After monsoon, the authorities tried to fill the potholes but it has been executed very shoddily, with uneven surfaces making commute very risky, particularly during the night. Besides this, dust is also a major problem as several bikers often skid.”

A senior TMC official said, “At present, metro works have emerged as a key reason for traffic congestion. Furthermore, the area has also seen large-scale residential projects that have increased the load. However, once the metro works are complete and other projects like the coastal road are executed, the traffic will be diverted and bring relief.”

What are some of the key projects underway to relieve traffic on Ghodbunder Road?

Earlier this year, the MMRDA announced a mega expansion plan to expand Ghodbunder Road into a 7+7 concrete corridor. The project is pegged at a cost of Rs 500 crore, with works on the project to commence soon.

At present, the development authority is constructing a Rs. 1,847 crore elevated road from Anand Nagar to Saket, enabling commuters to bypass the jam-packed Majiwada junction along the Ghodbunder Road. Meanwhile, works are also underway on the Rs 2,200-crore Thane Coastal Road, which seeks to create an east-west link in the city, serving as an alternative route to Ghodbunder Road.