Residents of six tribal hamlets in Nashik’s Surgana taluka must cross the Par river on foot to reach the nearest usable roads, markets, healthcare and schools in Gujarat, even as Nashik Zilla Parishad begins work towards a road connection from Maharashtra.
The hamlets of Khirpada, Vadpada, Sagpada, Khoblapada, Kahandolpada and Wanganpada are home to about 550 families and are surrounded by the Par river on three sides. Their only land route into Maharashtra leads through the hills to Barhe, roughly 23km away, residents said.
For Ramesh Mangalu Ijal of Khirpada, a routine market visit begins by wading through the river. He told Times of India that he removes his clothes, seals them along with his phone in a plastic bag and spends about 20 minutes crossing the Par into Gujarat. He then continues to Sutarpada, where the roads are usable.
The river crossing has become part of the daily transport system for residents of the six hamlets. Ijal said he owns a pickup van but keeps it on the Gujarat side because the road to his village is not suitable for driving. After crossing the river, he retrieves the vehicle and uses it to travel on the neighbouring state’s roads.
Residents said nearly 10km of the Maharashtra route has deteriorated into a hazardous stretch of mud and rocks. During the monsoon, the route becomes unusable, cutting off the hamlets for extended periods. The condition affects more than shopping: residents depend on Sutarpada for healthcare, education, groceries and markets where they sell farm produce.
Emergency access is especially difficult. One resident said that ambulances can travel only up to the tarred road, after which patients have to be carried for about two hours. Residents also said emergency responders face difficulties reaching the hamlets during the monsoon, when the damaged route turns into a muddy trap and the river swells.
The dependence on Gujarat’s road network reflects a gap in Maharashtra’s last-mile connectivity rather than a simple lack of market access. Although the hamlets fall within Nashik district, residents’ practical access to essential services is determined by the neighbouring state’s usable roads and the Par crossing. The route also leaves transport vulnerable to weather conditions and river levels.
There is now an official indication that the connectivity problem may be addressed. Nashik Zilla Parishad chief executive officer Omkar Pawar said a survey of the area has been completed and the process of constructing a road is under way.
The report does not specify the proposed road’s alignment, construction cost, length, contractor, funding source or completion schedule. Until those details are established and the route becomes usable through the monsoon, residents of the six hamlets remain dependent on a river crossing and a damaged internal road for basic services and emergency access.