Killer pothole claims another life in Kalyan

A man died today after being run over by an unidentified vehicle after he fell off his two-wheeler when it slipped on a pothole here, the fourth fatality related to potholes reported in Thane district since the onset of monsoon, police said.

Kalpesh Jadhav (26), a sand supplier, was on his way to the railway station at around 4 am when the incident took place in Kalyan township of the district, an official of the Khadakpada police station said.

"He lost his balance and fell when the two-wheeler he was riding skidded over a pothole near Gandhari bridge. An unidentified vehicle passing by crushed him under its wheels," the official informed.

A case has been registered under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) and efforts were underway to identify the vehicle and its driver, he added.

Jadhav's is the fourth death caused by potholes in Kalyan township since the monsoons began in early June.

On July 11, a 45-year-old man died after he fell into a water-filled pothole and was run over by a truck on Haji Malang Road in Kalyan.

On July 8, a 43-year-old woman riding pillion on a motorcycle was killed on Haji Malang Road after she fell off the vehicle and came under the wheels of a bus.

The issue of pothole-riddled roads has been at the centre of an acrimonious debate between the Maharashtra government and the opposition parties.

The opposition parties have questioned the government's claim that the number of potholes on roads in Mumbai and its adjoining areas has reduced considerably over the past four years.