Contractor Charged in Mumbai-Goa Highway Fatalities

The Raigad police in Maharashtra have registered a case of culpable homicide against Chetak Enterprises Limited and its officials for substandard work on a 26.7-km stretch of the Mumbai-Goa highway. This follows a directive from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after numerous complaints regarding the dangerous conditions of the highway, which has seen 170 accidents resulting in 97 deaths and 208 injuries since 2020. Key individuals, including Managing Director Hukmichand Jain and Project Coordinator Sujit Kawale, have been charged, with Kawale already arrested. The project, initiated in December 2017, was supposed to be completed within two years but lagged significantly behind schedule, completing only 4.6% of the work per month instead of the required 10%. Despite multiple warnings and show-cause notices, the contractor allegedly ignored quality standards, endangering public safety. The investigation is ongoing under Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge's supervision.