- Traffic jam on Mumbai-Pune Expressway extends for 20 km after gas tanker overturns
- Tanker carrying flammable propylene gas leaked, raising major safety concerns
- Authorities closed the expressway, diverted traffic, and advised avoiding the route
It is a nightmare, 20 km long, and over 24 hours later it's not over yet. Hundreds of commuters including women and children are stranded on the Khandala Ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a tanker overturned and started leaking flammable propylene gas.
The authorities have said it will take a few more hours to clear the road safely. Many passengers who were stranded did not bring enough food or water to last this long. They also faced problems in accessing toilet facilities.
NDTV went to the site of the traffic jam. The long line of vehicles, a mix of both commercial heavy vehicles and commuter cars, stretched for 20 km.
Due to the traffic jam, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) cancelled 139 scheduled bus trips, including 37 E-Shivneri services.
Taking note of the traffic jam, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Sunil Tatkare, however, pointed out public safety is top priority.
"The gas tanker that overturned could have posed a major threat to people's lives, so traffic was stopped as a precautionary measure," he said in a video statement.
He asked people to understand - and not see it as a delay - how the administration took precautions to avoid any untoward incident due to the gas leak.
Teams of the NDRF, SDRF, and BPCL have been deployed to manage the situation. The highway traffic police have asked motorists to avoid travelling on the expressway as far as possible until normal traffic is restored.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India's first six-lane wide concrete, access-controlled road. It spans a distance of 94.5 km connecting Mumbai, Raigad and Navi Mumbai with Pune.
According to the expressway control room, the gas tanker overturned on the highway at 5 pm on Tuesday. It happened near Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at a high speed, lost control due to the slope and overturned.
Soon after the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, causing panic among motorists, an official said. The tanker was carrying propylene gas, which is highly flammable.
The police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai, and diverted vehicles to the Pune-bound side for 2 km due to the accident. Despite this, normal movement could not be restored due to the continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic even for Pune-bound motorists.
The impact was severe on motorists, with several passengers stranded for hours. "People have been stuck and desperately waiting for help. Please do something," wrote X user VyasKarn.
A conductor of a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus said they have been stranded since midnight, and passengers are without food, water and toilet facilities.
The police said they managed to divert some vehicles to the old Mumbai-Pune highway. The work to clear the road is likely to go on till late tonight.
