Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has expressed grave concern over the worsening condition of Nagpur roads.
Civic authorities’ failure to supervise road works execution is a major cause of road accidents. To address the issue, the High Court formed a committee headed by Commissioner of Police (CP), with NMC Additional Commissioner, DCP (Traffic), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) Superintending Engineer, and Maha Metro’s senior-most technical officer as members.
The committee is tasked with making recommendations on various issues by August 30, 2024.
The judges outlined several areas for the committee to address, including traffic police manpower assessment, coordination between stakeholders, evaluation of traffic signal system, deployment of traffic volunteers, and development of a time-bound programme for fixing road alignment issues. The judges also sought information on maintaining roads in good condition across all seasons.
“If the current manpower is insufficient, the panel should inform about the additional numbers required to regulate traffic so that the court can call the response of the government for creation of additional posts,” the judges stated, emphasizing the need for adequate traffic management resources.
The court was hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation based on local media reports about dangerous road conditions due to potholes and subsequent accidents leading to fatalities. Raheel Mirza was appointed as the amicus curiae for this case.
The judges cited specific examples of problematic areas, such as the left turn towards the Institute of Science from Sitabuldi just below the metro rail station, where riders face difficulty navigating. Additionally, the NMC City/Chief Engineer is required to respond regarding the policy for granting road cutting permissions and the responsibility for restoring roads to their original condition.
“A substantial rise in the number of vehicles — two-wheeler or four-wheeler private and/or commercial — in Nagpur is evident and shortage of adequate parking spaces. At times, offences of road rage are registered over fights between motorists over parking or while negotiating through traffic and narrow paths,” the court said.
