India, Sept. 4 -- Mumbai: Observing that multiple patches on Chinchoti-Kaman-Anjur-Mankoli Road in Bhiwandi were "in a state of serious disrepair," the Bombay High Court last week allowed the Maharashtra government to repair the crumbling road, which is caught in a contractual dispute between the government and the firm contracted to maintain the road, the Supreme Vasai Bhiwandi Tollway (SVBT). The high court said the state government can "carry out emergent repairs on the road to ensure that it is motorable". The road, which connects Thane and Palghar districts, is a vital throughfare to reach Bhiwandi, Maharashtra's warehousing hub. With frequent heavy vehicle movement, the 26-km road also connects two national highways. The high court's order comes at a time when the poor state of Bhiwandi's roads is in the spotlight following the recent death of a 58-year-old doctor, who was run over by a truck after his scooter skidded over a pothole in August. After seeing pictures of the potholes on Chinchoti-Kaman-Anjur-Mankoli Road, justice Somasekhar Sundaresan observed, "In these circumstances, the respondent (state government) shall be at liberty to carry out emergent repairs to ensure that public interest is not undermined while a contractual dispute is being dealt with by arbitration, which has now come to a standstill owing to the petitioner (SVBT) who is the corporate debtor, having moved from insolvency to bankruptcy." While a commercial arbitration petition filed by SVBT against the state government was pending before the high court, the government filed an interim application urging the court to allow it to take over the road to repair and maintain it. The state government contended that due to the SVBR's inaction, it had faced the wrath of several citizens who had launched protests regarding the accident-prone road. Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan said that local villagers, corporations, organisations, social workers and residents had been agitating and complaining about the "extremely poor state of the road" and the "consequential hardship caused to the public, including their safety to life and commute". In his August 26 order, justice Sundaresan noted, "...it is evident that the road in question is in a state of acute disrepair." The state government told the court that the road was supposed to be repaired based on a report by the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, but only about 15% of the work had been completed as of June 12. SVBT was appointed to maintain the road and collect tolls through an agreement between the firm, the state government, and lenders. The state government claimed that SVBT had become a habitual defaulter in road repairs and maintenance. It also shared details of its correspondence with SVBT from 2015 to July 2024, when it terminated its contract with the firm. The court will hear the case further on September 9. On June 26, the Shramjeevi Sangathana, an organisation working for tribal welfare, had led a 12-hour protest at nine places in Bhiwandi, including the Chinchoti-Kaman-Anjur-Mankoli Road, in which hundreds of people participated. "Some cosmetic repairs were carried out after the protest, but the state of the road remains just as bad. The contractors who are responsible for the pathetic state of the roads have faced no action," said Pramod Pawar, spokesperson for the Shramjeevi Sangathana....