THANE, May 29 -- The Thane Municipal Corporation has begun repair work on the notorious 10.5-km stretch on Ghodbunder Road, which was handed over to it a couple of months ago by the Public Works Department after prolonged discussions and political and local pressure. The stretch, which runs from Kapurbawdi to Gaimukh, is infamous for frequent accidents, and at least 24 people-mostly bikers-have lost their lives here last year. The TMC is now planning to concretise all the flyovers on it to prevent potholes and uneven surfaces, the major cause of the accidental deaths. TMC chief Saurabh Rao has announced that all roads within TMC limits, irrespective of their ownership, will be repaired by the civic body, and the repair work will be done on priority. A budget of Rs.2 crore has been approved to repair Ghodbunder Road. Sanjay Kadam, executive engineer of the TMC, said, "We have received the ownership of Ghodbunder Road from Kapurbawdi to Gaimukh. We have started the repair work on the flyovers. The humps caused by previous masting have been milled and a new surface of masting is being done. We will be repairing all the four flyovers on this stretch and expect to complete the work by June 5." With 95 percent of the road already concretised, Kadam gave an assurance that motorists and bikers would not face too many problems this monsoon. "Most of the barricades installed below the Metro Line have been removed, which will provide a smooth and widened road to motorists, resulting in less traffic congestion," he said. Meanwhile, the Thane traffic police has also prepared its team for the monsoon. "We have kept road repair equipment like spades, sand, gravel, cement and ghamelas in all our vehicles to repair any sudden potholes or faults on the roads to avoid impacting traffic movement," said Pankaj Shirsath, DCP Traffic, Thane Police. "Additionally, every traffic inspector has been instructed to observe road conditions and traffic-jam-prone areas in their jurisdiction, and to plan roadmaps with diversions in case of traffic jams or accidents. We will also broadcast information on traffic jams, other incidents and diversion announcements on social media for people to take decisions in real time." Civic activists, meanwhile, are adopting a wait-and-watch approach. "Road repairs and maintenance before the monsoon is an annual affair for the TMC, but after just two showers, the roads are back to their former condition," said Adish Mehrotra from Ghodbunder Fights Back. "This time, we want the TMC to use the best-quality material so that the flyovers can withstand the rains. A third-party audit must be done so that no life is lost this monsoon due to potholes or bad road conditions. Last year, the 10-km stretch on Ghodbunder Road claimed 24 lives on account of bad road conditions, and this year two lives have already been lost." Rohit Gaikwad, another activist who had raised the issue of the high number of deaths on Ghodbunder Road due to unsafe road conditions, said the road was used by a huge number of heavy vehicles as well as locals. "This is a lethal combination," he said. "Whenever a two-wheeler suddenly stops or topples over due to potholes or uneven roads, the rider is crushed by the heavy vehicles following them."...