Two Indias on the same road: NH-48 jam exposes VVIP privilege

A twoday traffic paralysis on the MumbaindashAhmedabad Highway NH48 has laid bare the stark divide between Indiarsquos VVIPs and its everyday commuters While thousands of citizens including school children and patients were stranded for hours it took a ministerrsquos convoy getting stuck to finally spur actionThe chaos began after Maharashtra Forest Minister and Palghar Guardian Minister Ganesh Naikrsquos convoy was caught in the gridlock on Wednesday morning while travelling from Navi Mumbai to Palghar for a District Planning Committee DPC meeting The jam delayed the meeting by over two hoursEyewitnesses captured videos of Naikrsquos policeescorted convoy taking a Uturn and driving on the wrong side of the road to bypass the jam The footage quickly went viral triggering outrage online ldquoThis shows two Indias on the same road mdash one for the powerful one for the powerlessrdquo a commuter said Another added ldquoTraffic rules apply only to the lsquoaam aadmirsquo not the VVIPsrdquoQuick fix for the powerfulThe difference in administrative urgency was stark Sources confirmed that emergency patch repairs and cleanups were mobilised immediately after the ministerrsquos convoy got stuck and the traffic was cleared within a few hours mdash a sharp contrast to the prolonged suffering usually faced by citizens In response to the incident Naik defended his actions and emphasised the seriousness of the congestion ldquoThe jam affected not just vehicles but also senior citizens and women I have instructed the authorities to install mobile toilets along this stretch and ensure permanent measures are taken so such congestion does not occur againrdquo he saidScreengrab from the viral video showing Minister Ganesh Naikrsquos convoy driving on the wrong side of the MumbaindashAhmedabad Highway PicsBy Special ArrangementTaking note of the jam between Versova and the Khaniwade toll plaza Naik directed the district administration and police to develop longterm strategies Highway police explained that the gridlock near Vasai was triggered by a block taken up in the Gaimukh area Instead of parking on one side of the road heavy vehicles had stopped in the middle creating a twoway jam Police assured the minister that the block had been cleared the previous night and that traffic had started to normalise MLAs Sneha Dube Pandit and Rajendra Gavit also called for stricter management and timebased restrictions on heavy vehiclesldquoWe are all responsible for this traffic congestionrdquo Naik said stressing that the issue was not a ldquooneday complaintrdquo but a chronic problem He urged vigilance to ensure that public frustration and unrest do not escalate Naik blamed the slowdown not just on the Ghodbunder diversions but also on potholes on newly constructed concrete roads that reduce vehicle speeds poor coordination among government departments and mismanagement during ongoing construction work He added that he had instructed the district administration not to accept new concrete roads until they meet quality standards citing numerous complaints about poor workmanshipSuhas Chitnis project director at the National Highways Authority said 121 kilometres of concrete work had been completed with the Sativali flyover expected to open by early November Potholes on certain stretches have been filled using epoxy resin and microsurfacing work is scheduled to begin after Diwali ldquoWe lose entire days and thousands of rupees in fuel because of this Authorities only mobilise when a minister is delayed For the rest of us this highway is a permanent parking lot and a death traprdquo said a daily bus operator ldquoNH48 doesnrsquot need VVIP movement mdash it needs real movementrdquo added a frustrated truck driverOutrage and cynicismThe viral video of the ministerrsquos convoy prompted social activist Dr Binu Varghese to tag top officials and demand action ldquoAmbulances schoolchildren and commuters continue to suffer while contractors go unpunishedrdquo he wrote With 238 accidents and 131 deaths on the TalasarindashDahisar stretch this year critics say NH48rsquos problems are structural mdash and deeply political For now locals joke that the highway will remain ldquoclear for ten daysrdquo until the next VVIP gets stuck Until accountability and uniform enforcement arrive NH48 will stay what commuters now call it the highway of two Indias mdash one that moves and one that waits