Plan to Make Mumbai-Goa Highway Pothole-Free Before Ganesh Festival – Public Works Minister Shivrendra Singh Bhosale

Inspection of Palaspe to Kashedi Tunnel Road Conducted

Raigad, Aug 2025 – To ensure that the devotees travelling to Konkan for the Ganesh festival are not troubled by potholes on the roads, the state government is taking all possible measures, Public Works Minister Shivrendra Singh Bhosale said today. He stated that it is the government’s intention to make the Mumbai-Goa Highway pothole-free before the Ganesh festival.

Minister Bhosale was speaking during an inspection of ongoing road works on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. To personally review the progress, he is touring Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. The inspection began from Palaspe Phata in Panvel.

Accompanying him were MLAs Prashant Thakur, Mahesh Baldi, and Ravindra Patil; District Collector Kishan Jawale; Chief Executive Officer Neha Bhosale; District Superintendent of Police Achal Dalal; Public Works Department Chief Engineer M. N. Rajbhoj; Superintendent Engineer Sushma Gaikwad of the Public Works Board, Konkan Bhavan; and National Highways Authority Project Director Yashwant Ghotkar, among others.

At a review meeting at the government guest house in Mahad, the minister instructed officials to prioritise completion of the Mumbai-Goa Highway works and ensure that commuters do not face traffic congestion. He emphasised that the state government is focused on improving public amenities and that the highway construction must be of high quality and completed at the earliest.

To speed up the work and provide permanent solutions to potholes, modern technology is being effectively implemented. Through this, the aim is to make the highway pothole-free and complete the remaining works quickly. The tender process for the Indapur and Mangaon bypass bridges has been completed, new contractors have been appointed, and these works may take at least a year to finish, he said.

He directed that alternative routes to Konkan (like Khopoli-Pali) should be kept in good condition, additional police deployment be arranged at Indapur and Mangaon, and Home Guard assistance be sought. The Vadkhal-Alibag road should be repaired for citizens travelling to Murud and Alibag. Since Ganesh festival is of great emotional importance to the people of Konkan, all departments must coordinate to ensure a hassle-free journey. Facility centres should be set up along the Mumbai-Goa Highway during the festival period, offering maximum services to travellers. Where bridge works are ongoing, priority should be given to completing service road improvements to keep traffic smooth, and signboards, signage, and reflectors should be installed wherever necessary.

During the inspection, Minister Bhosale visited Palaspe, Jite-Pen, Pen Railway Station, Vashinaka, Gadab, Kharpale, and Kolety to review the works in progress. He also interacted with local citizens to understand their problems and assured them of all possible assistance.

District Collector Kishan Jawale provided a computerised presentation on the current status of the Mumbai-Goa Highway. The inspection was attended by sub-divisional officers, tehsildars, and officials and staff from various government departments.