Shoddy highway work: Eknath Shinde tells officials to file culpable homicide charges against contractors

'Blacklisting of such contractors is not sufficient. They should face criminal charges like culpable homicide. I have given instructions to officials to file such complaints against contractors,' he said.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday reviewed pending work on Mumbai-Goa Highway ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and said he has asked officials to file culpable homicide charges against contractors who did shoddy work that resulted in fatal road accidents.

Speaking to reporters at Kashedi tunnel on Mumbai-Goa national highway, Shinde said, "There have been some contractors who did shoddy work. Such poor quality work resulted in road accidents and people lost their lives.

"Blacklisting of such contractors is not sufficient. They should face criminal charges like culpable homicide. I have given instructions to officials to file such complaints against contractors." Shinde said he would raise the issue with Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari to restrict such contractors from bidding for major infrastructure projects.

"Union Minister for Highways Gadkari took keen interest in the highway and gave loans to contractors, but some of them ignored the work. Due to their lethargy, we have to face this precarious situation. Contractors who have constructed substandard roads will face action," he said.

Kashedi tunnel is expected to reduce the travel time from 45 minutes from the Ghat area to around 10 minutes. The twin tunnels of three lanes each are expected to be open before the Ganesh festival.

One tunnel was commissioned last year, which was used for two way movement, slowing down the traffic on both sides.

Earlier, after visiting the highway, Shinde said four types of advanced technology is being used to repair potholes and damaged stretches of the Mumbai-Goa highway in order to minimise inconvenience to people travelling to their villages in the coastal districts for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

The visit came a week after Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam called BJP leader and Maharashtra PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan a “useless minister” over the poor state of the highway.

Officials of the NHAI, MSRDC, and PWD, among others, have conducted an in-depth study of the issues on this highway and devised effective solutions, the CM said.

While the section of the highway from Ratnagiri to Goa is completed and operational, some stretches in Raigad still need to be constructed well.

"The Ganpati festival is in a couple of weeks, and the road conditions are substandard. Despite an annual review by a minister, there has been hardly any improvement. People continue to suffer," said a Dapoli resident who visits his ancestral home during the festival.

Several people from cities travel to their ancestral homes in Konkan during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The substandard road conditions remain a concern for travellers and bus operators in the Mumbai-Goa route.