Meet Sudhir Mehta: The Pune tycoon who heli-hopped out of the 36-hour Mumbai-Pune Expressway jam

Traffic jams can be both exhausting and irritating after being stuck in your car for long hours, surrounded by endless lines of vehicles with no end in sight.A similar scene appears to have occurred on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway recently, when a gas tanker flipped over, turning a busy route into a parking lot.

Thousands of people, including families with kids, were trapped overnight without easy access to food or restrooms.While one would helplessly wait for the jam to clear up and get home, an industrialist defied the odds and chose to be airlifted instead - quite literally!

The jam turmoil on the Pune-Mumbai highway

The trouble started around 5 PM on February 3, 2026, when a speeding tanker carrying propylene gas lost control on a slope near the Adoshi tunnel and overturned.Authorities spotted a gas leak right away, forcing a full traffic shutdown towards Mumbai to avoid any possible disaster. What began as a local snag turned into chaos, with jams lasting up to 36 hours in some spots, stranding lakhs of vehicles, including buses and trucks. Commuters faced tough nights - many women and children went without water, snacks, or access to bathrooms.

Man gets airlifted amid the 36-hour traffic jam!

NDTV reported that Dr. Sudhir Mehta, stuck like everyone else, arranged a chopper after eight hours of frustration.

From the sky, the gridlock looked unreal, like a snake of cars stretching for miles. Dr. Sudhir Mehta posted a video of the same on X: “Lakhs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for ‘one gas tanker’,” he wrote in his post.He also suggested smarter solutions, like more emergency exits and helipads every few kilometres. “Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lakhs 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,” he added.One photo showed him next to the pilot; others revealed the endless backup from above. He thanked Nitin Welde, an air veteran and helicopter consultant, who helped make it happen, as Mehta wrote in his X post.

Who is Sudhir Mehta?

Dr. Sudhir Mehta is a prominent figure in India’s auto industry. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Pinnacle Industries, founded in 1996 in Pithampur, which makes seats, interiors, and parts for vehicles and railways.In 2022, he founded EKA Mobility for electric buses and commercial EVs, partnering with Japan’s Mitsui and the Netherlands’ VDL Groep. They launched their first bus with Minister Nitin Gadkari in attendance.A serial entrepreneur and former head of CII Western Region and MCCIA Pune, his net worth sits around $7.58 billion in 2025 estimates, ranking him globally.

Social media pours in criticism

Social media was flooded with mixed reactions. A user questioned, “Why do we need a helipad? Can’t they land on the highway just like how it happens in Dubai? Especially on newly constructed highways?”Another wondered, “How will a helipad solve the problem? How many can it evacuate from the lakhs stranded on the highway?”Another commuter vented, “I got stuck for 12 hours and was very furious… Lack of empathy for aam aadmi (regular taxpayer) is bothering.” Calls grew for accountability, better-prepared civic bodies, and real solutions beyond elite escapes.