Social Activist and Senior Journalist Atul Shilwant’s written demand submitted to Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale.
Panvel, 28th October 2025 : For quite some time now, the ‘Infamous Roads’ of Panvel and their ‘premium-quality potholes’ have remained a constant topic of discussion among local citizens. The issue is particularly grave in the ‘B’ and ‘D’ wards, which cover the areas of Panvel, New Panvel, Khanda Colony and Kalamboli respectively.
Before the onset of the monsoon, the Panvel Municipal Corporation had entrusted M/s P.D. Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. (PDIPL) with the task of resurfacing and asphalting these roads. However, since the monsoon began as early as May this year, the newly constructed roads were quickly put to the test—and they failed miserably in their very first “exam.”
The roadwork across these divisions reportedly began between April and May. From the very start, citizens witnessed the contractor compromising on quality standards. Instead of properly excavating and rebuilding the old, damaged roads from the base, the contractor merely used a poclain machine to scratch the existing surface and laid a thin asphalt coating over it. The result was predictable: after the first rains, the roads began to crumble, fully exposing the substandard workmanship of PDIPL.
By the end of June, the roads had deteriorated to such an extent that the remnants of the old surface were once again visible. Meanwhile, the so-called “efficient” officers of the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) turned a blind eye to this gross negligence.
Almost every stretch of road constructed by PDIPL—from Pillai College Girls Hostel to Panvel Station via D-Mart, from New Panvel Post Office to Khanda Colony flyover, from Adai Circle to Khanda Colony, and from Adai Circle to Panvel Railway Station — has been completely devastated. For nearly five months, the residents of Panvel have been enduring a daily ordeal while navigating these dilapidated roads.
During this period, apart from a few alert citizens and members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), no political party has taken a strong stand or launched a noteworthy protest against the deteriorated roads.
Against this backdrop, social activist and senior journalist Atul Shilwant has written a detailed letter to Panvel Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale, drawing attention to the grave problems caused by the poor-quality roadwork. In his letter, Shilwant has raised four major demands, the most significant of which is to impose a penalty of ₹100 crore on the contractor PDIPL, and to use the amount to offset the property tax dues of citizens residing in the ‘B’ and ‘D’ wards as compensation for the mental and physical suffering, vehicle damage, and loss of productive time endured by them.
Given the appalling condition of these roads, one fact has become abundantly clear — the only viable solution now is to reconstruct and resurface the roads afresh through a reputed contractor.
Excerpts from Atul Shilwant’s original marathi Letter to Commissioner Mangesh Chitale.
To,
The Hon’ble Commissioner,
Panvel Municipal Corporation,
Panvel.
Subject: Holding PDIPL and associated contractors accountable for substandard roadwork in Ward Committees ‘B’ and ‘D’ and placing them on the municipal blacklist.
Sir,
I assume you are well aware of the deplorable condition of the roads within the limits of the Panvel Municipal Corporation. If not, I urge you to personally visit various parts of the city—you will experience a shocking reality first-hand.
The contract for the road asphalting work in Wards ‘B’ and ‘D’ was awarded by the PMC to M/s P.D. Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. (PDIPL). The contractor, without removing the previous damaged layer, merely used a poclain machine to scratch the surface and proceeded with asphalting. As a result, the roads deteriorated in the very first rains and by the end of June, were completely ruined.
Because of this, residents—especially those from New Panvel—have suffered tremendous inconvenience and distress. Poor road conditions have caused severe damage to two-wheelers, rickshaws, and small four-wheelers. Additionally, commuters have begun to experience back, neck, and spinal injuries, which makes this issue all the more serious.
In light of the above circumstances, I hereby make the following requests for immediate action:
- Reconstruct the roads afresh in the aforementioned wards by fully excavating the existing surface and laying a new, properly reinforced foundation. The work should be tendered again and assigned to a competent contractor.
- Recover the entire cost of this reconstruction and asphalting work from M/s P.D. Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. (PDIPL).
- Impose a penalty of ₹100 crore on the said contractor as compensation for the mental and physical suffering, vehicle damage, and time loss caused to the citizens of Panvel. The collected amount should be used to pay the property tax dues of the residents from Wards ‘B’ and ‘D’.
- Constitute an inquiry committee under your chairmanship to investigate the matter and blacklist PDIPL along with any other associated contractors involved in this work. The report should be forwarded to the State and Central Governments, recommending that these entities be barred from receiving any future government contracts across the country.
I sincerely hope that you will take these four points into serious consideration and exercise your authority to initiate immediate and appropriate action.
Yours faithfully,
Atul Mahadev Shilwant
(Social Activist & Journalist)
It will be noteworthy to see if Commissioner Mangesh Chitale takes strict action against the contractor M/s P.D. Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. (PDIPL) upon taking cognizance of this letter.
