Giant Pothole Grips Mumbai-Surat Highway

Valsad, Gujarat —As Gujarat grapples with the onset of heavy monsoon rains, the public’s patience is wearing thin, particularly in Valsad district where a colossal 8-foot wide, 1-foot deep pothole has ripped through National Highway-48.

This gaping maw on the vital Mumbai-Surat corridor has not only exposed the hollow claims of infrastructural preparedness but has also plunged thousands of daily commuters into a nightmare of traffic snarls, vehicle damage, and alarming accidents.

The precarious state of the Karambela Bridge, a critical juncture on NH-48, has become a stark symbol of administrative negligence. Even with “normal” rainfall, the massive crater in the middle lane forces vehicles to a crawl, creating perilous conditions, especially after dark. Reports of burst tires and damaged trucks, luxury buses, ST buses, cars, and tempos are piling up, leaving motorists fuming at the authorities.

“I was coming from Mumbai, and while there are potholes everywhere, this one on Karambeli Bridge was so big, you couldn’t avoid it even if you tried to drive on the side,” lamented a young man, visibly shaken after his car’s tire punctured. “Our car’s tire got punctured, we barely escaped.” His frustration echoed a sentiment widely shared by weary travelers. “I request the government or the highway authority: are people’s lives so cheap that they overlook such huge potholes? We pay ₹500 in toll to go to Mumbai and come back, only to risk dying like this.” He directed a scathing message to the Union Minister: “Gadkariji, nothing will be achieved by simply building a road; pay attention to its maintenance as well, otherwise someone’s life will be lost.”

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which collects lakhs of rupees in toll at the Bagvada plaza, is facing intense scrutiny. Despite the hefty charges, adequate pre-monsoon maintenance, a crucial preventive measure, appears to have been woefully neglected. This oversight is particularly concerning given that the current situation has emerged after only the initial, normal rains. Motorists anticipate a far worse scenario when the heavy downpours truly begin, fearing complete waterlogging and further deterioration of the already crumbling roads.

Another infuriated car driver expressed his exasperation, “If you are taking so much money as toll, at least make the roads better.” He added, “The situation here is very bad; it has become difficult to drive. If the government is taking so much money as toll, then the roads should be made better.”