Archive · 16 Dec 2025
Thane Forms Committee for Pothole Accident Compensation
The Thane Municipal Corporation has set up a special committee to help people who get hurt or lose loved ones because of potholes and open manholes on the roads.
The committee, led by the city's top official, Saurabh Rao, met for the first time on December 16, 2025.
They decided that people who have been in such accidents should tell the committee about it within 48 hours.
The committee will then check if the accident was really caused by the bad road conditions and not by cars hitting each other.
If it was because of the potholes or open manholes, the city will give money to help the victims or their families.
The committee will look at things like who is responsible for the road and what the police reported about the accident.
Thane Municipal Corporation formed a committee to determine compensation for pothole-related accident victims, following a Bombay High Court directive.
The committee, chaired by Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, held its first meeting on December 16, 2025.
Citizens are requested to register complaints with the committee within 48 hours of an accident caused by potholes or open manholes.
The committee will verify the cause of the accident, considering factors like road ownership and police reports, before granting compensation.
Accidents caused by vehicle collisions will be excluded from the committee's verification process.
- Who
- Thane Municipal Corporation and a committee chaired by Saurabh Rao
- What
- Formation of a committee to determine compensation for pothole-related accident victims
- When
- December 16, 2025, following a Bombay High Court directive from October 13, 2025
- Where
- Thane Municipal Corporation area
- Why
- To provide compensation to victims of accidents caused by potholes, open drains, and road maintenance deficiencies
- Committee Chairperson
- Saurabh Rao, Thane Municipal Commissioner
- Committee Members
- Ravikant Pazarkar (Secretary, District Legal Services Authority), Siddharth Tambe (Superintending Engineer, PWD), Vinay Surve (Superintending Engineer, MMRDA), Prashant Songra (City Engineer), Makarand Kale (Legal Advisor), Vikas Dhole (Deputy City Engineer), and officers from Traffic Police and various authorities
- Compensation Eligibility
- Accidents caused by potholes or open manholes, excluding vehicle collisions
- Complaint Registration Deadline
- Within 48 hours of the accident
- Verification Factors
- Road ownership, police panchnama, and accident cause