Maharashtra: NH48 repair work stopped till January 2

The ongoing white topping work on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway abruptly stopped on Friday after midday highlighted the mistakes of the road contractor in its coverpage article titled lsquoNightmare on NH48rsquoThe Gujaratbased infrastructure company appointed by the National Highway Authority of India NHAI for the concreting of the MumbaiAhmedabad highway acknowledged its errors that brought traffic to a standstill for nearly 36 hours Consequently they have ceased work until January 2Ashok Kumar Sharma the general manager of Nirmal Build Infra Private Limited decided to halt the work However road users still express concerns about facing similar congestion when the work resumes Transporters and other road users are demanding the repair of service roads which are plagued with potholes debris and lack of street lights They fear these conditions might lead to mental frustration and accidentsTraffic officials at the spot PicHanif PatelldquoWersquove decided to halt the concreting work on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway until January 2 The traffic issues highlighted by midday coupled with our own realisation of the massive inconvenience for road users led us to stop work on Friday We will resume only after meeting with the officials concerned MBVV police on Saturday December 30rdquo Sharma told midday ldquoConsidering the expected heavy traffic during New Yearrsquos Eve wersquove paused work for nowrdquo Sharma addedTraffic officials at Mira Bhayandar VasaiVirar MBVV police were in the process of drafting a letter to the infrastructure company likely directing them to obtain a No Objection Certificate NOC from the police before making any decisions to redirect highway traffic to adjacent citiesHarbans Singh Nanade a transporter from All India Vahan Chalak Malak Mahasangh said ldquomidday exposing the mistakes of the road contractor causing massive traffic snarls is commendable The coverpage story was written with the publicrsquos best interests in mind It compelled the contractor to halt work but we hope they wonrsquot repeat the same mistakerdquoNanade added ldquoCurrently there are no signboards or announcements informing road users about ongoing work This frustrates road users Before resuming development we urge the contractor to install proper signboards and make announcements at toll plazas to alert road users about the ongoing white topping workrdquoldquoUntil now two out of three lanes were blocked for white topping creating a bottleneck in one lane I recommend keeping at least two lanes free for smooth traffic flow on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway as many interstate vehicles traverse this stretch dailyrdquo Nanade saidSanjay Hazare senior inspector of the Mandvi police station adjacent to the highway said ldquoTherersquos currently no traffic The contractor should seek NOC from the police department before making any decisions independentlyrdquoldquoSince the police and media started questioning the contractor work has stopped We hope such mistakes wonrsquot be repeated to avoid major traffic disruptions which often escalate into law and order issuesrdquo Hazare added Truck driver Imran Memon said ldquoIt brought relief to many road users as there was zero traffic on NH48 Thank you middayrdquoAdvocate Mahesh Champanerkar said ldquoThe contractor had to acknowledge their mistake after the fourth pillar of democracy exposed themrdquoEnvironmental activist Smita Agarwal said ldquoI had to travel from Dahanu to Mumbai on Thursday and it took me seven hours I vividly recall the mental frustration due to bumpertobumper traffic as highlighted on middayrsquos cover page It was truly a nightmarerdquoldquoItrsquos positive that theyrsquove stopped the white topping work but will we encounter the same congestion after January 2 Whatrsquos the alternative route Why havenrsquot the service roads been repaired before initiating such developmental workrdquo wondered AgarwalldquoPassengers rushing to catch flights might miss them and patients in ambulances might suffer if stuck in traffic One mistake could lead to a severe humanitarian crisis on the roadrdquo Agarwal saidDec 30Day meeting to be heldSecurity to be beefed up across the city ahead of New Yearrsquos DayThe police and traffic department are leaving no stone unturned to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents this New Yearrsquos Eve and New Yearrsquos DaySecurity will be beefed up at spots where there are mass gatherings as well as restaurants and at beaches According to police data as a part of security arrangements 22 deputy commissioners of police 45 assistant commissioners 2051 officers and 11500 constables will be deployed across the city ahead of New Yearrsquos Day Police personnel including the State Reserve Police Force SPRF and quick response teams QRTs will also be presentldquoSecurity had been beefed up We request all the citizens to follow the law If there are any safety concerns citizens can call 100rdquo said Satyanarayan Chaudhary joint CP law and orderA special drive will be conducted to apprehend drunk drivers Police officers have been provided 225 breath analysers on the night of December 31 and strict action will be taken against those involved in eveteasing Chaudhary said ldquoAll 93 Nirbhaya squads will be active across the city footage from 5000 CCTV cameras near major junctions will be scrutinised to ensure the safety of citizensrdquoThe authorities have met with the owners of restaurants and bars and it was decided that establishments would be shut at the prescribed timeThe traffic police will deploy 40 senior police inspectors 1271 officers 147 riders and 300 other officers to major junctions while 87 towing vans have been pressed into service The traffic department would deploy huge forces on all the entry and exit points and other important locations across the city ldquoSo far we have registered 2317 cases of drinking and drivingrdquo said M Ramkumar additional CP trafficApoorva Agashe