Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway turns death trap amid rising accidents

For commuters truck drivers and locals the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway NH48 has become synonymous with constant fear due to potholes broken medians poor lighting and incomplete repairs On the TalasariDahisar stretch 238 accidents have claimed 131 lives this year a grim reminder that piecemeal measures and temporary traffic restrictions cannot address the deeper structural failings of the roadDespite a massive whitetopping project locals say the highwayrsquos condition has barely improved ldquoThe socalled repairs have made no difference mdash fatal accidents have actually increased and traffic flow has worsened Contractors face no real liability and NHAI National Highways Authority of India has failed to repair the road Ambulances schoolchildren and workers continue to suffer every dayrdquo said Harbans Singh Nanade spokesperson of the All India Vehicle Owners amp Drivers FederationThe stretch often sees traffic snarls but activists say this is just the tip of the icebergNHAI however maintains that the work is progressing steadily ldquoSo far 99 per cent of the whitetopping has been completedrdquo said Suhas Chitnis project director NHAI He denied claims that the repairs have worsened road safety ldquoThe work and traffic were ongoing simultaneously While the quality could have been better the overall road condition is not bad There are a few potholes and the three highway outlets are in poor shape forcing traffic onto this stretch as there are no alternate routesrdquoStructural failuresWhile authorities have imposed restrictions on heavy vehicles between Thane and Bhiwandi critics argue that limiting truck movement is a bandaid solution ldquoThere are no terminals for truckers forcing them to halt on the road or enter city lanes Wrongside driving is rampant lane discipline is missing traffic restrictions are not followed and drivers often lack proper information Criticising heavy vehicles alone doesnrsquot help mdash they are part of the system and essential goods still need to reach people Everything must work in coordination or the problems will continuerdquo said Shraddha Rai of digital platform Zimmedar Kaun which has been pushing for accountability on NH48The military vehicle that broke down in the first lane of the highway but received no assistance for nearly 15 hourldquoFrom Gujarat till the border driving is smooth mdash but the moment we enter Maharashtra it becomes hell We suffer the most between 5 pm and 10 pmrdquo added a truck driver Sanjay Dhawle a member of the Heavy Container Association stated ldquoThe blame game needs to stop The real problem is the road itself and every year itrsquos the same story The highway still has numerous potholes even in the middle lanes and in some areas streetlights donrsquot work Itrsquos not just trucks mdash even small cars and bikes struggle Temporary repairs donrsquot fix anything The travel time for heavy vehicles has tripled We pay our taxes but still lack basic facilities and parking spaces Many drivers have left the state in frustration We need a dedicated lane ideally on the right side 24 hours a day so we can operate with dignityrdquoA deep crater the likes of which are responsible for accidentsRashmil Kothari another Heavy Container Association member highlighted the potential impact of the longawaited VirarAlibaug Multimodal Corridor ldquoOnce completed it could save nearly 80 km of travel by providing an alternate route for vehicles especially heavy trucks and freight traffic Thousands of vehicles would be diverted from NH48 easing congestion reducing pollution and offering direct connectivity to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust JNPT which would relieve traffic through Thane and Palghar districts But the project is delayed and until it is operational these problems will continuerdquoldquoTraffic jams are just the tip of the iceberg The real problem is the road itself mdash broken medians potholes and no proper signage Even a short trip feels like a risk to life We feel helpless as ordinary commutersrdquo said a small business owner who travels the highway frequentlyA grim pictureOn the TalasariCharoti stretch 99 accidents took place in 2024 leaving 57 dead and 37 injured This year there have been 49 accidents which claimed 42 lives and left five injured Between January and August 2025 143 accidents occurred between the Dahisar to Khaniwade toll nakas claiming 57 lives while 46 accidents left 21 people seriously injured and 32 dead on the stretch from Manor to WaghobaOn Thursday September 18 a 16monthold boy died when the ambulance ferrying him from Naigaon to a Mumbai hospital was stranded for hours in a jam On July 31 a 49yearold woman Chhaya Purav died after an ambulance ferrying her for treatment was stuck on NH48ldquoOn September 24 a military vehicle broke down in the first lane They called 1033 for help but no assistance arrived for nearly 15 hours Eventually another military vehicle came with all the necessary tools and towed it aside Meanwhile fastmoving cars kept zooming past mdash if even the military canrsquot get timely help what hope do ordinary commuters have NHAI must take responsibility for such situationsrdquo said a commuterPlans and realityFrom September 20 to October 2 heavy vehicles will be prohibited in two slots mdash 11 am to 5 pm and 10 pm to 6 am The MBVV Commissionerate has also issued a notification restricting the entry of trucks with 10 wheels or more from both Gujarat and Mumbai into Thane Bhiwandi and Kalyan Essential vehicles mdash ambulances fire brigades police vans oxygen carriers mdash remain exemptAuthorities insist that traffic restrictions on heavy vehicles are necessary to prevent gridlocks Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Rajaram Doifode said ldquoThese restrictions are urgently required to ensure commuters and emergency services are not trapped in avoidable jamsrdquoYet locals say this is only a partial measure ldquoWersquove sent letters filed RTIs staged protests mdash but nothing changes Unless road design lighting and basic facilities are fixed controlling trucks alone will not stop people from dyingrdquo said NanadeAction not takenAshwini Bhide principal secretary to the chief minister has directed the Palghar collector to survey accidentprone spots potholes and streetlight gaps and a committee has been proposed to study the causes of accidents But residents say progress is painfully slowldquoWe had productive meetings with the collector and were informed that a committee would be formed after a discussion with NHAI possibly on Friday An audit has already highlighted several black spots yet NHAI continues to postpone the repair work Despite Rs 600 crore being spent on whitetopping the road is still full of potholes tolls are being collected and people are continuing to die Urgent action is needed and someone must be held accountablerdquo said a local activistChitnis however claimed to be unaware of any such meeting ldquoWe have no objection to attending but we have not yet received any formal intimationrdquo he said Rai summed it up ldquoThis is a collective issue that requires immediate implementation but nothing has materialised yetrdquo For now NH48 remains a dangerous gamble As Neha Sharma a Virar commuter put it ldquoEvery time I drive on this road I feel like Irsquove been given a second chance at life when I finally reach homerdquo