Mumbai: The normally reticent Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) has complained to Union minister of road transport & highways Nitin Gadkari about the pathetic condition of the national highway between Dahisar and Talasari (NH48).In a letter to the ministry, BPP said this highway is the only road connectivity to the pilgrimage site of Udvada in south Gujarat, where the community’s most important fire temple, Iranshah, is located. “NH-48 Dahisar to Talasari has become a death trap and our community members and senior citizens suffer untold hardship due to poor construction done by NHAI-appointed contractors… All we ask are for our fundamental rights to good roads so that precious lives are not lost,” it said.BPP trustee Adil Malia told TOI that the community lost one of its illustrious members, industrialist Cyrus Mistry, on that road due to poor road conditions and unregulated traffic. “The community has no alternative but to travel on NH48 and the route between Dahisar and Talasari is literally a ‘death trap’. Several near fatal and serious accidents have been reported,” he said.Filly Bapuna, who frequently drives between Udvada and Mumbai, said, “Driving on NH48 is a harrowing experience. It was cement concrete a few months ago, but there are already potholes everywhere. A new Range Rover had a tyre burst twice on this stretch.”Dr Boorjis H Doctor, who is leading a campaign for a safe NH48, said he had a near-death experience this year due to the negligence of the road contractor. “When I complained against the contractor at the Panvel police station, I was astonished to find that the senior inspector was unaware of Indian Roads Congress (IRC) norms, leave aside enforcing them,” he said. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, advocate Sujay Kantawala, said a journey from Boisar to Mumbai on NH48 took six hours. “My sister has sworn to travel by train only and described this highway as ‘hell on earth’.”Highway activist Harbans Singh Nanade said that despite spending Rs 600 crore on repairing NH48, traffic jams and accidents continue to occur. “This has raised questions about the functioning of NHAI and the contractor. The BRO (Border Roads Organization) is also primarily responsible for constructing and maintaining roads in border areas and difficult mountainous regions. Without wasting time, the services of BRO should be used for NH48 and Thane-Ghodbunder road for safe travel.“A senior NHAI official said traffic on NH48 is more due to the traffic flow on the Thane-Ghodbunder road. “Though potholes are there, the main reason was the traffic on the Thane-bound lane. We are laying mastic on old bridges.”
