PUNE: A traffic snarl on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway stranded commuters and forced industrialist Dr Sudhir Mehta to fly back to Pune by helicopter after an 8-hour wait.
In posts on X, Dr Mehta wrote, “Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for “one gas tanker “ . For such emergencies we need to plan exits at different points on expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return.”
He further suggested, “Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lacs to make and require less than one acre of open area . These need to be mandatory at various points near the expressway for emergency evacuation.”
“@nitinwelde thanks for your help to get back to pune today after being stuck for 8 hours,” Dr Mehta added.
Describing the on-ground situation, the industrialist said, “This is the state of the #Mumbai #Pune highway. Complete free for all including wrong side driving . The lifeline of connectivity for the region is deteriorating by the day.”
He also wrote, “Travelling on the same is playing roulette on one’s life plus 7 hours to reach.”
The accident occurred around 50 metres ahead of a tunnel in the Borghat stretch of the Khandala ghat section in Raigad district. Soon after the crash, gas began leaking from the damaged tanker, triggering serious safety concerns.
Vehicular traffic was immediately halted on both carriageways — towards Mumbai and Pune — for several hours, resulting in a massive traffic snarl stretching several kilometres. Commuters were left stranded through the night and most of Wednesday.
It was only around 10.30pm that the gas was safely transferred from the damaged tanker to another vehicle, highway police said. After the tanker was removed using a crane, the Mumbai-bound carriageway was reopened for traffic after 1am on Thursday.
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