A journey from Kolhapur to Belagavi on the National Highway late last night turned into a nightmare amidst heavy rains. What should have been a simple 100 km drive turned into a gruelling 4-hour ordeal, crawling at 20 km per hour, despite being in a sturdy vehicle with good ground clearance. The rains started at Kognoli and continued relentlessly to Belagavi, exposing the abysmal state of the roads.
The entire stretch forces vehicles onto service roads riddled with potholes and dozens of speed breakers. The diversions are barely marked, with only small reflector boards guiding the way. In heavy rains, the service roads were completely submerged, hiding hundreds of treacherous potholes, turning the drive into a bumpy, dangerous experience. The loose soil on the waterlogged roads further compounded the risks, making the route a hazard in every sense. With reduced visibility due to rain, the poorly marked diversions only added to the danger.
In fact the stretch from Belagavi to Pune is in a bad shape but Toll has to be paid.
The road construction, moving at a snail’s pace, doesn’t seem likely to be completed anytime soon (official time is 23/04/2025)—certainly not in the next two years. In such deplorable conditions, it raises a burning question: Why should we pay the toll?
Toll fees are meant to compensate for well-maintained roads, saving time, fuel, and providing a comfortable journey. But when none of these are being delivered, and instead our vehicles suffer damage, and lives are endangered on narrow, unsafe roads, what justifies the hefty tolls?
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, in June 2024, clearly stated that tolls should not be charged for poor-quality roads. “If you don’t provide good quality service, you should not charge a toll,” he remarked during a global workshop on satellite-based tolling. Gadkari emphasized that tolls should only be collected where top-quality roads are provided. Charging tolls for roads plagued with potholes and mud will naturally provoke backlash from the public.
In light of these conditions, the question remains: Why should we continue paying for a service that’s not delivered?
Yes I too agree that We should stop paying toll for the most wreched stretch of road it’s a day light loot of common people
Is anybody listening?
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/hc-directs-nhai-concessionaire-to-comply-with-earlier-court-order/article67349484.ece
The government is looting the people without providing basic amenities. The concerned the road construction contractors has to maintain the diversion roads, as per their contract agreement. This has to be brought to the notice of MP and toll has to be stopped until the roads are made good
Has the road condition improved? I plan to travel this route in the coming week.