Maharashtra’s Public Works Minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale has directed officials to urgently complete all road, bridge, and building-related works under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD) in view of the upcoming monsoon season.
Presiding over a review meeting held at Mantralaya to assess the department’s pre-monsoon preparedness, Minister Bhosale emphasized the need to ensure roads and bridges remain in good condition to facilitate smooth transportation during the rainy season.
He noted that in previous years, heavy rainfall in some regions of the state had damaged roads and caused inconvenience to the public. Stressing the importance of pothole-free roads, he instructed the department to take all necessary precautions to maintain road quality.
Minister Bhosale ordered that all potholes on roads, including those completed under privatization schemes, be filled on time to ensure smooth traffic flow. He directed Chief Engineers to inspect gantries and foot overbridges (FOBs) and remove any that are damaged or structurally unsafe. Gantries should be inspected assuming a standard wind speed of 180 km/h. Advertising and information hoardings along roads should also be checked, and any damaged ones removed.
Special attention should be given to inspecting ghat roads to ensure they are pothole-free and safe. Road signage must be readable, and road markings and blinkers must remain clearly visible to drivers, he added.
Minister Bhosale further instructed Executive Engineers to conduct field inspections and ensure that roads remain safe and pothole-free throughout the monsoon. If road works are ongoing during the rainy season, appropriate measures such as signage, barricading, and reflectors must be in place to alert motorists.
He emphasized removing loose rocks from ghat sections and making alternate routes operational in case of landslides or road closures. Tourist spots where temporary waterfalls appear during the monsoon must have “No Parking” and “Do Not Stop” signs installed to prevent vehicles from halting dangerously.
At the district level, war rooms should be set up, and toll-free emergency helplines activated. Chief Engineers have been instructed to alert all regional officers and ensure preparedness. Strict action will be taken against any officials failing to comply with these directives, the minister warned.
He also mentioned the installation of warning signs at bridges and culverts prone to submersion and directed that diversions near under-repair or under-construction bridges be properly made.
Senior officials, including PWD Secretary (Roads) Sadashiv Salunkhe, PWD Secretary (Buildings) Sanjay Dashpute, Joint Secretary Rohini Bhalekar, Deputy Secretaries Niranjan Telang and Sanjay Degavkar, and Sachin Chivate attended the meeting. Regional Chief Engineers and District Superintending Engineers also participated via video conference.
