The Bombay High Court has instructed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) to submit an up-to-date status report on the expansion of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66). Additionally, the court has directed a committee of experts to investigate the recent collapse of a segment of an under-construction bridge, a matter brought to its attention by a petitioner. The state government assured that the panel would conduct an inquiry within 15 days.
Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor, presiding over the case filed by lawyer Owais Anwar Pechkar, a Chiplun resident, sought resolutions to commuter issues along NH-66. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requested directions for the state government and NHAI to address problems like potholes, prone to accidents, and expedite the widening project.
In 2022, the high court expressed disappointment with the slow pace of the highway expansion initiated in 2010, urging an acceleration of the work. In July of the same year, the court imposed a Rs 50,000 cost on NHAI and the state PWD for litigation expenses. The penalty was due to the petitioner’s repeated court visits, prompted by authorities’ failure to fulfill commitments related to highway repair.
During the recent hearing, government pleader P P Kakade, following instructions from the executive engineer (National Highway Division), PWD, informed the court about the formation of an expert panel to investigate the collapse. The panel is expected to conduct the probe and submit a report within 15 days. The court has requested status reports from both NHAI and PWD, along with the committee’s findings, for the next hearing on January 3.
