Palghar : The traffic chaos on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway (NH-48) has entered its fifth consecutive day, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and exposing severe lapses in road management and infrastructure planning.
The massive gridlock near Vasai and Palghar has brought traffic to a standstill, trapping school buses, ambulances, and heavy vehicles in miles-long queues. Officials attributed the congestion to ongoing repair work and the diversion of heavy vehicles, but the situation has now spiraled beyond control.
NH-48, a vital corridor connecting Maharashtra and Gujarat, continues to suffer from poor planning and incomplete infrastructure upgrades.
On Tuesday evening, the situation worsened when 12 school buses carrying students from Classes 5 to 10 were stuck for nearly 12 hours while returning from a picnic near Virar. Many children reportedly went without food or water for several hours until volunteers from local organizations distributed biscuits and water.
Former MAMFDC Chairman and educationist Javed Shroff praised MNS Chief Raj Thackeray for swiftly deploying party workers to assist nearly 500 stranded students. “Appreciate the good initiative of Shri Raj Thackeray ji for arranging help and ensuring the students’ safe passage,” Shroff wrote on X.
The incident has prompted several Mumbai schools to reconsider upcoming excursions. According to Anil Garg, Chairman of the Educational Tour Operators Association, over 20 schools have postponed their planned picnics to Vasai until after Diwali. “Even today, two buses from Nashik carrying 64 students from a Kandivli-based school were delayed by two hours,” he added.
For Vasai-Virar residents, NH-48 remains the only major route to Mumbai. Alternative options like the Ro-Ro ferry service are also overcrowded, with queues extending to more than 120 cars.
As vehicles crawl through the bottleneck, frustration and anger among daily commuters, truckers, and parents continue to rise — underscoring Mumbai’s deepening infrastructure crisis.
