Residents of several villages in Maharashtra staged a protest on Friday, expressing anguish over the apathy of the administration and the deteriorating condition of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway (NH-48), which is riddled with potholes and causing severe traffic snarls. More than 100 of them have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for a nod to commit suicide as their “suffering is unbearable”.
Residents of Sasunavghar, Maljipada, Sasupada, Bobat Pada and Patharpada said that the journey, which used to take just an hour for the past two months, has reportedly turned into a five- to six-hour nightmare.
Sushant Patil, an activist from a local NGO leading the protests, told the Hindustan Times: “Dying would be better than living like this.”
“The suffering is unbearable. Children in villages have missed their exams and people have missed their flights. Medical emergencies are also a serious concern as the nearest hospital is on Mira Road. You usually get to the hospital in 20 minutes, but now it takes more than three hours,” he said.
Mentioning that the protest will not stop until the authorities take concrete action, he said, “We want the authorities to listen to us and take action. For years, our prayers and cries have fallen on deaf ears,” he said. The lives of people living in these villages are completely dependent on NH-48.
What did the letter say?
Residents said their daily lives were disrupted due to the alleged negligence of the project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), including other officials. The letter seen by HT said, “Despite filing several objections, no concrete action has been taken. Therefore, we strongly demand that disciplinary action be taken against these officials.”
Residents alleged that the authorities completely ignored the recent order issued by the Mira-Bhayander and Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police department banning the passage of large vehicles around Chinchoti Naka between October 11 and 14 due to continuous paving and maintenance work in the Gaimukh Ghat area along Ghodbunder Road in Thane.
The letter said, “As a result, a large number of heavy vehicles entered the highway, causing massive traffic jams and paralyzing daily life in the Naigaon-Chinchoti area.
“We urge the government to address these demands immediately. If the administration continues to be inactive, we citizens will have no choice but to ask for permission to die by suicide in protest against this gross negligence,” the letter added.
HT tried to reach the NHAI project director but got no response.
Meanwhile, MBVV Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik on Friday issued a notification declaring the closure of the Chinchoti traffic branch and transferring the responsibility of traffic management to the Vasai and Virar traffic branches based on their respective areas of jurisdiction.
