Mumbai, July 19: A Navi Mumbai-based resident has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court (HC) over the fatal incident which took place on the Sion Panvel highway recently due to the dangerous roads. The petitioner has been identified as Deepak Singh who moved court on Tuesday and submitted a detailed report saying that 93 fatal accidents had been reported between January 2016, and November 2017. The data has been received through a Right to Information (RTI) query.

In his plea, he also recommended the court to fix the responsibility of the concerned authorities related to pothole deaths. The report mentions that the petitioner had lost one of his family members due to a pothole mishap, which caused him to knock the doors of the court, seeking justice. Singh believes that only the court can address the grievance and provide justice to such families who have lost their dear ones. Along with holding the politicians and authorities responsible, he also asked the court to pass an order against toll collection in Mumbai until the roads become potholes free.

Besides these demands, the petitioner has also asked the court to direct the police officials to file criminal cases against the concerned officials and PWD minister for dereliction of duty. A third-party audit of bad roads across Mumbai and adjoining regions should also be made. Moreover, the petitioner has asked the court to direct the authorities to complete the roads repair work on a war footing level.

The petition has come after six people lost their lives due to the potholes- related incidents. Out of the six deceased, five died in Kalyan alone while one lost his life on the Sion-Panvel Highway at Navi-Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Thane police have issued a notice to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in connection with a pothole-related death, which happened last week, asking them to repair the road to prevent such recurring accidents.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).