Udvada, a coastal town in Gujarat’s Valsad district and home to the sacred Iranshah Atash Behram, remains a key pilgrimage site for Parsis across Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara. But the deteriorating condition of National Highway-48—the only route connecting Mumbai to Udvada—has turned travel into a challenge, prompting the Bombay Parsi Panchayet (BPP) to write to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari seeking urgent repairs.
In its letter, BPP called the highway a “death trap,” invoking fundamental rights and recalling the 2022 accident that claimed the life of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry on the same stretch. The letter, written on September 3, exactly three years after his demise, appealed for immediate action.
Local residents and priests echoed the concerns, pointing to delays in medical emergencies, drop in pilgrim numbers, and even losses in local hospitality businesses. “Our pilgrimage to Iranshah is akin to visiting Mecca,” said BPP trustee Dr. Adil Malia, stressing that the community faces immense hardship reaching its holy place.
Valsad MP Dhaval Patel assured that repairs are underway and that a permanent “white topping” solution will be implemented after the monsoon, alongside broader plans to develop Udvada as a tourist hub.
Until then, members of the Parsi community in Udvada say they remain hopeful that their long-standing demand for safe and reliable roads will soon be met.