Valsad: Leaders of the Parsi community have advised devotees to suspend their pilgrimage to the holy town of Udvada, home to the revered Iranshah Atash Behram due to the deplorable and hazardous condition of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway, the primary route for thousands of pilgrims traveling from Mumbai.

The Parsi Punchayet, a prominent representative body, has escalated the issue by sending a strongly-worded letter to Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. The letter details the immense difficulties faced by travelers, particularly on a treacherous 48-kilometer stretch extending from Talasari to the Gujarat border. This section is described as being riddled with potholes and dangerously uneven surfaces resulting from ongoing but poorly managed white-topping work and also resulting from monsoon rains.

The Panchayet’s letter emphasizes that the journey has become extremely risky, especially for the elderly and infirm members of the community. It further alleges that the contractors appointed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are blatantly disregarding the construction standards set by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC), leading to substandard and unsafe road conditions.

The community has implored the minister for his immediate and decisive intervention, expressing deep frustration that their pleas are being ignored despite their history of contributing to nation-building. DeshGujarat