Vasai‑Virar’s Roads Crumble Again: Residents Furious Over Shoddy Repairs

When Shravan Yadav’s two‑wheeler slipped on a gaping pothole last Friday, the resulting leg fracture was more than a personal tragedy – it became a flashpoint for a community that feels abandoned. ‘The whole six‑kilometre stretch from Vasai East to Vasai West is a minefield,’ he told reporters, his voice tinged with frustration.

Yadav’s experience is hardly isolated. Since the July 4‑8 deluge, thousands of commuters in the Vasai‑Virar region have been navigating roads that seem to deteriorate faster than they can be fixed. Whether the roads are maintained by the Vasai‑Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), local Gram Panchayats, or the Zilla Parishad, residents complain of endless potholes, water‑logging and a palpable sense of neglect.

According to BJP corporator Manoj Patil, the VVCMC allocates at least ₹25 crore every year for pothole repairs. Yet he alleges that a cozy circle of twelve contractors does the job half‑heartedly, allowing the same holes to re‑appear within a couple of months. “We spent ₹8 crore just before the monsoon on patching the six‑kilometre main road,” Patil said. “By July 9 the potholes were back, as if nothing had been done.”

Patil singled out contractor Shaitan Singh, who, he claimed, was also responsible for a ₹14‑crore road‑raising project two years ago that still leaves commuters spending an hour in traffic for a two‑kilometre stretch to the railway station. “The work was so poor that even after the upgrade the road is a nightmare,” Patil added.

Senior police inspector Prashant Langi, who has stationed six constables on the troubled stretch, described the ripple effect: “Vehicles crawl, traffic jams form, and accidents become inevitable. We have written to the VVCMC, but constant rain makes any repair work impossible until there are three dry days in a row.”

VVCMC commissioner Prithviraj P B responded that the contractor had been blacklisted, but Patil dismissed the move as a token gesture. “If you blacklist one firm, the same owner just registers a new company and wins the next tender,” he argued. “It’s a vicious loop that robs taxpayers of money and time.”

Other areas—Nalasopara, Naigaon and Virar—are in a similar state, with corporator Pankaj Patil pointing out that roads in Dhanivbaug, Wakhanpada and Bilalpada are “completely riddled with potholes.” He, too, has urged the VVCMC to take decisive action.

On the political front, MLA Sneha Dubey has taken the issue to the Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Extended Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP). Her proposal seeks to concretise 72 km of main and internal roads across Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar at an estimated cost of ₹2,861 crore. “The sanction process is underway,” Dubey said, hopeful that a long‑term solution is on the horizon.

For now, commuters continue to dodge the yawning pits, many of them fearing that the next ride could be the one that ends in injury or a busted vehicle. The frustration is palpable, and the demand for genuine, lasting repairs grows louder with each passing day.