No repairs on landslide-prone Wada-Kasara road

The area receives sufficient rainfall in the monsoon and is a popular tourist destination

Even though landslides have become a norm, authorities don't seem to be serious about the life of motorists using the Wada-Kasara road, which at many places has all but collapsed. No major repairs have been undertaken yet.

Around 65 to 70 km of the road passes through dense forest, which also has waterfalls, at many places. It's an important road, used by not just villagers staying in the surrounding tribal areas, but also by tourists visiting Surmal and Khodala during the monsoon. The area receives good amount of rainfall in the monsoon and is a popular tourist destination.

The biggest concern for the motorists is the landslide-prone locations, which pose a real threat to daily commuters. Compared to other roads, this road has less trucks plying on it, but has many twists and turns, which are risky for four-wheelers and small goods transport vehicles.

Speaking to mid-day, tourist Ratnakar Sawant, who visited the area recently, said, "It seems that the authorities are waiting for a big mishap to happen. They already know that there are several locations where minor landslides have taken place, but no major repair work has been done. Only a temporary job has been done." According to locals, the road between Wada and Kasara falls in the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department and it is their job to look after the repair and maintenance of the road. The area through which the road passes is surrounded by forested patch and small ghats. In order to avoid accidents, the need of the hour is to identify landslide-prone areas and undertake immediate mitigation measures. mid-day also tried to get in touch with the Executive Engineer-PWD, Palghar District, but was unable to reach him.

70 km
Distance of dense forested area