Mumbai-Goa National Highway Develops Moon-Like Craters Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi 2025, Draws Ire From Aaditya Thackeray, Varun Grover; NHAI Responds to Viral Video
As heavy rains lash Maharashtra, the long-delayed Mumbai-Goa highway project has once again come under fire, this time, quite literally, from the skies. A drone-shot video showing massive crater-like potholes on the Vashishti bridge in Chiplun has gone viral, sparking outrage just as Ganesh festivities begin and thousands prepare to travel.
Mumbai, August 21: As heavy rains lash Maharashtra, the long-delayed Mumbai-Goa highway project has once again come under fire, this time, quite literally, from the skies. A drone-shot video showing massive crater-like potholes on the Vashishti bridge in Chiplun has gone viral, sparking outrage just as Ganesh festivities begin and thousands prepare to travel.
The video, widely shared across social media, shows the dangerously worn-out stretch of the Vashishti bridge, part of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66), with gaping potholes covering entire lanes. Trucks are seen parked along the dividers, forcing smaller vehicles to dangerously swerve through the narrow remaining space. Mumbai-Goa Highway Accident: 5 Killed as Car Plunges Into Jagbudi River in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri (Watch Video).
Aaditya Thackeray Slams NHAI Over Condition of Mumbai-Goa National Highway
Varun Grover Joins In
Mumbai-Goa National Highway Viral Video Draws Flak
The viral video has drawn strong reactions from politicians to people in the entertainment industry. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray slammed the NHAI over the condition of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway, terming "NHAI PR is bogus". Taking to X, formerly Twitter, junior Thackeray wrote, "Most National Highways in Maharashtra are in this state. The NHAI PR is bogus." Writer and comedian Varun Grover also took a sly dig at the national highway authority.
NHAI Responds to Mumbai-Goa National Highway Viral Video
Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued a clarification in connection with the viral video. According to the NHAI, the Chiplun bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway does not fall under their jurisdiction. "NHAI would like to inform that the Mumbai-Goa National Highway in Chiplun near Vasishthi Bridge does not fall under NHAI’s jurisdiction and is maintained by the NH Division of PWD under the state government," NHAI said. Maharashtra Bus Accident: Several Injured After Private Bus Overturns on Mumbai-Goa Highway Near Raigad’s Karnala (Watch Video).
Mumbai-Goa National Highway: From Dream to Nightmare
The project was launched as a flagship infrastructure promise in 2011, a smooth, high-speed expressway connecting Mumbai to Goa. However, it has become a cautionary tale of delays, cost overruns, and poor planning. The project, which aimed to convert the old two-lane highway into a modern four-lane corridor, was supposed to cut travel time from 12 hours to just six. Fourteen years later, only fragments have been completed, while commuters navigate broken roads, detours, and deteriorating stretches.
Local residents and travellers have long complained of the physical and economic toll the condition of the highway has taken, from damaged vehicles and traffic chaos to lost workdays and accidents.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2025 07:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).