India, Oct. 14 -- Taking a strong stand against years of administrative apathy over the deteriorating state of roads across Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the formation of monitoring committees at multiple levels to hold government officials and contractors accountable.

A division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh D Patil also ordered all civic bodies and other planning authorities-including Mhada, MSRDC, CIDCO, and others-to compensate families of those who died in pothole-related accidents. Each family is to receive Rs.6 lakh within eight weeks, while injured victims are to be paid between Rs.50,000 and Rs.2.5 lakh, depending on the severity of injuries.

The bench clarified that this compensation ...