Pothole claims third life in Kalyan in 7 days as man run over by vehicle

A man was today run over by an unidentified vehicle after he fell off his two-wheeler when it skidded on a pothole in Kalyan in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.

Kalpesh Jadhav (26), a sand supplier, was on his way to the railway station at around 4am today when the incident happened, a Khadakpada police station official 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 section 304A of the Indian Penal Code 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.

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 with the latter claiming that the state government's contention of potholes having reduced on the roads was an erroneous one.