CM Devendra Fadnavis orders inquiry into 32-hour Mumbai-Pune Expressway disruption

PUNE: CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the 32-hour traffic disruption on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway caused by an overturned propylene tanker and told MSRDC to submit a plan to deal with such situations.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde told MSRDC and police to prepare a “special emergency traffic plan” for the expressway to prevent recurrence. In an official statement, Shinde instructed that work on the ongoing Missing Link project be expedited, stating that it would reduce travel time and serve as an alternative route during emergencies.Thousands of travellers were stranded for hours after the tanker overturned near Adoshi Tunnel on the Mumbai -bound carriageway in Khandala ghat section.

While a 15km stretch was logjammed, traffic disruption extended to around 50km. Around 1am Thursday, the corridor was reopened for traffic movement. Through the day, vehicular movement onthe carriageway remained slow as heavy vehicles that were parked along the expressway resumed journey.Politicians, particularly from the opposition, criticised the govt for collecting toll from commuters who remained stranded on the expressway for hours.

After the 32-hour traffic disruption on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and Shiv Sena UBT’s Aaditya Thackeray questioned the govt over “the lack of alternative arrangements and the absence of a proper emergency response plan to manage such crises”. “A basic intervention could have helped by reaching out to the people and offering food, water and toilets at certain distances from where they were stuck,” Thackeray wrote on X.Sapkal said, “At a time when such a crisis was reported, govt had no alternative arrangements and emergency plan... this is the true picture of so-called development.” MNS chief Raj Thackeray wrote on X: “The govt should refund the toll that was collected from passengers during this period.”Activist Vijay Kumbhar said collecting toll without providing services amounted to a violation. “As per the National Highway Fee Rules, vehicles should be allowed to pass toll-free if waiting time exceeds 3 minutes or if queues stretch beyond 100 metres,” he said.

A senior MSRDC official said toll collection was stopped within a few hours after the incident and there were no instructions from the govt or higherups in the department regarding refund.Highway SP Tanaji Chikhale told TOI that while traffic on the Pune-bound corridor moved normally Thursday, the Mumbai-bound lane witnessed slow movement as trucks and other heavy vehicles parked along the roadside and at food malls, some as far as Satara and Kolhapur, began heading towards their respective destinations.“Many drivers were asleep when the road opened around 1.30am on Thursday. They started moving later in the morning,” he said. A state highway police officer said traffic returned to normal around 1.30pm on Thursday.Pravin Paithankar, president of the Maharashtra Heavy Transport and Inter-State Container Operators Association, said specialised tankers used for hazardous gas transport are designed to prevent leakage even if a vehicle overturns, highlighting the need for stronger infrastructure corrections rather than blaming operators.Pune’s district administration said it was preparing an SOP to deal with such situations. Describing Tuesday’s incident as “unique”, district collector Jitendra Dudi said various aspects would be considered while preparing the SOP. It will include preparing alternative routes for traffic movement, rerouting traffic to avoid bunching of vehicles, planning exit and entry points for vehicles and providing basic services to commuters such as food packets and the provision of toilets.Dudi said coordinated efforts would be jointly planned by the Pune and Raigad administrations to tide over such situations.