As the financial capital of Mumbai prepares for its upcoming municipal elections, the political discourse in Maharashtra is increasingly defined by a dual narrative. On the one hand, the ruling coalition is promoting a set of modern infrastructure achievements designed to improve the quality of life for Mumbaikars, ranging from high-speed expressways to underground metros. On the other hand, there is a parallel move afoot to privatise and monetise public land, while maintaining a strategic silence regarding long-standing infrastructure failures.
A key example is a section of National Highway 66 (NH66), the vital 490-kilometre artery connecting Panvel (near Mumbai) to the tourism hub of Goa with potential for developing many picturesque beach towns along the way. Despite being under construction for nearly two decades, the project remains a partially-completed construction site that challenges the government’s narrative of efficient development.
The project to convert the existing two-lane highway into a four-to-six-lane corridor was originally launched in 1998, with major work commencing in 2005. After 2014, it was re-branded; what was earlier the NH17 is now NH66 that would extend all the way to the southern tip of India. But the original NH17 itself has remained a ‘work-in-progress’ a decade later. Persistent delays have transformed the highway into a monument to bureaucratic inertia and systemic failure which remains unmoved by public interest litigation (PIL), or repeated strictures from the courts. The failure to complete NH66 stands in stark contrast to the rapid execution of other mega-projects, such as the 701km Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway (Samriddhi Mahamarg), the Atal Setu (trans-harbour link), the coastal road or even the underground metro in Mumbai.
Disconnect between Claims and Reality
In the Parliament, the government has asserted that 89% of the highway is complete. However, the live experience of motorists and local residents reveals a vastly different reality. Instead of fostering economic growth and tourism opportunities presented by Konkan’s scenic beaches, the incomplete highway has forced an entire generation to navigate a highway dotted with potholed surfaces, incomplete bridge structures, sudden craters and poorly-planned diversions.
The human cost of this long delay is chilling. Data sourced through Right to Information (RTI) reveals 1,125 deaths in Raigad and 944 in Ratnagiri, in the period from 2011 to May 2025. This does not include thousands of unreported injuries and permanent disabilities that impose significant costs and emotional burden in terms of lost livelihoods and mounting medical bills on the people residing along this deadly highway.
Chaitanya Patil’s Rasta Satyagraha: Documentation as Activism
Faced with the ‘Kafkaesque saga’ of the highway's delay and claims of 89% completion, Chaitanya Usha Laxman Patil, a determined, 31-year-old electronics engineer from Pen taluka, initiated a radical form of protest in August 2025. His objective was to move beyond bureaucratic reports and record the actual daily encounters of NH66 users and bring it to public attention. His stated aim: "to record what a motorist encounters daily but what often remains diluted or invisible, once converted into files and bureaucratic reports."
Armed with a smartphone and GPS tools, he embarked on ‘Rasta Satyagraha’, walking the Mumbai-Goa stretch over 29 days, with the support of only a few friends and well-wishers. He mapped, tagged and documented 59 critical hazards or systemic failures; some of these were on the very stretches that the government claimed to be complete. He posted his findings through specific, geo-tagged photographs posted on social media (@Chaitanyulpatil on X) and offered specific solutions through detailed documents.
This meticulous documentation has been submitted to various authorities, including the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the disaster management authority. It is also open to the public, in the hope that others will take up the fight. (Chaitanya Patil’s documented process of Rasta Satyagraha has been made publicly available by him here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ 1_Mho2CQVfdLwdM4qB5XG3ZtCMnlnkVVG?usp=sharing)
Mapping the Systematic Failures of NH66
The hazards identified by Chaitanya fall into four broad categories: poor construction, safety lapses, mismanagement of drainage and ecological damage.
Safety Lapses & Design Errors: The audit reveals missing or illegible signboards, damaged or non-existent reflectors, including unsafe diversions and improperly installed speed-breakers act as death-traps, especially for night-time travellers. A significant engineering error was placement of speed-breakers on downhill slopes in ghat (hilly) sections. This is compounded by the absence of safe pedestrian crossings and underpasses near village junctions, forcing local residents to risk their lives crossing high-speed lanes.
Drainage Mismanagement: Effective drainage is critical for road safety. Yet, Chaitanya observed long stretches of the highway with poorly constructed drainage, or unauthorised median openings. These cause water logging on the main carriageway and creating hydroplaning risks for high-speed traffic. In Parshuram Ghat, a high-rainfall area, he highlighted poor drainage causing landslides and accidents. (Video: https://x.com/chaitanyulpatil/status/2005854446325281092).
Ecological Cost & Disaster Preparedness: The expansion of NH66, as always, involved cutting thousands of trees with the promise to replant them and restore the green cover. Chaitanya’s audit confirmed the glaring absence of replanting leading to increased temperatures and dust pollution. Compounding these environmental issues is the lack of essential disaster management infrastructure, such as first-aid stations, ambulances and general emergency preparedness along the route
Administrative Response to Public Pressure
In December 2025, MoRTH acknowledged Chaitanya’s report and instructed state officials to submit ‘point-wise action taken reports’. The immediate response to his reports and social media posts, says Chaitanya, was band-aid action such as a shoddy patch-up of specific potholes, highlighted by him, instead of addressing larger structural issues.
Over time, Chaitanya’s posts have attracted media attention and been widely amplified. Moneylife did a 4-part report on his work (Rasta Satyagraha – Part 4: From Palaspe to Zarap, a Highway of Pending Work). Moneylife Foundation, along with well-known activist Anjali Damani and the Mumbai Press Club, felicitated him in Mumbai, in an effort to increase public awareness for his endeavour. Historical precedents in India suggest that such snowballing public interest, although rare, is often required to move stalled projects forward. For instance:
Aravalli Hills (2025): Massive public protests forced the Supreme Court to review decisions that threatened the ecological cover of the hills.
Goa Mollem Forest (2021): Protests led by Goencho Avaaz resulted in a partial halt and review of three major infrastructure projects.
Bengaluru Steel Bridge (2019): Public outcry regarding corruption allegations led to the scrapping of a Rs 2,000-crore project.
Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (2011): Public petitions led to a moratorium on construction.
Similar protests erupt from time to time leading to some quick fixes. What is different about Chaitanya’s Rasta Satyagraha is the meticulous documentation, backed by photographic evidence – an exercise that is completely independent of political gamesmanship.
The Kafkaesque nightmare of NH66 is relatively easy to fix, if there is a political will to do so. What is needed are structural audits, enforcement of defect liability on contractors, third-party quality inspections and practices like routine inspections, proper drainage design and standardised signage. It also requires integration of disaster protocols and accident mitigation services along with regular monitoring and upkeep.
Technical solutions are clear; but the fundamental problem affecting NH66 is lack of accountability because of large-scale corruption and political connivance. The sad reality of India is that change will not happen due to the Rasta Satayagraha alone. It will need to escalate to public support or protests to force action – that is why all of us need to support Chaitanya Patil’s work.
Let's ALL take it in a systematic way on the DOORSTEPS of Mr. Nitin Gadkari Ji & Mr. Devendra Phadnavis Ji who need to answer for the misery of people (& Deaths due to Accidents of Common People on this NH66) from Raigad - Ratnagiri - Sindhudurg Districts in last 11+ years!
Indore has been celebrated as India's cleanest city for eight consecutive years. In December 2025, this reputation was shattered when contaminated sewage killed at least 10 residents and 270 others fell ill, a result of sheer...
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Let's ALL take it in a systematic way on the DOORSTEPS of Mr. Nitin Gadkari Ji & Mr. Devendra Phadnavis Ji who need to answer for the misery of people (& Deaths due to Accidents of Common People on this NH66) from Raigad - Ratnagiri - Sindhudurg Districts in last 11+ years!