Jarring commute on pothole-riddled Pune-Satara highway irks travellers

PUNE: Regular travellers on Pune-Satara highway are complaining of potholes, gravelly surface and waterlogging, and seeking permanent solutions to these problems.
Officials in the know said no maintenance work was being done on the highway. In contrast, NHAI and the contractor, Reliance Infrastructure, stated maintenance work is done regularly.
“The road condition is horrible with hundreds of potholes.No street lights or road markings and waterlogging haunt us,” Pavanjit Mane, a Satara resident who works in Pune, said.
Jay Shedge, another Satara resident, said, “I once saw a sedan’s bumper come loose after it drove into a deep pothole. Even trucks find it difficult to navigate this highway.”
Reliance Infra was appointed to convert this stretch into a six-lane thoroughfare by March 2013. In May this year, NHAI issued a termination notice to Reliance Infra, with 15 days to submit a response.
A source said no fresh development work was being carried out and that even maintenance was poor. “The road condition is proof. At Varve, traffic is diverted onto the pothole-riddled service road as the bridge is incomplete. The road surface on Nasrapur bridge got washed away and is gravelly,” the official said.
Reliance Infra officials said they had replied to the notice on time. “NHAI hasn’t reverted in the matter. Meanwhile, maintenance is going on,” an official said.
“Reliance Infra submitted a reply to our Pune office. Maintenance is underway,” Ashish Asati, GM (technical), NHAI Maharashtra, said.