India, Oct. 18 -- Frustrated by the poor condition of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway (NH-48), severe traffic congestion, and administrative negligence, over 100 residents from the Naigaon-Chinchoti-Vasai area have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking permission to die by suicide.

On Friday, residents of villages along NH-48 in this area, such as Sasunavghar, Maljipada, Sasupada, Bobat Pada, and Patharpada, staged a protest along the highway. They complained that what was once a one-hour commute for them has, over the past two months, stretched to five or six hours. "Dying would be better than living like this," said Sushant Patil, an activist with a local NGO spearheading the protests.

In the letter to the prime minis...