Traffic chaos on Mumbai-Pune Expressway after tanker overturns; passengers stuck for hours
Mumbai (PTI): Traffic was paralysed overnight on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and causing massive congestion on both carriageways, officials said on Wednesday.
Vehicles remained stationary near the accident site for several hours amid the traffic chaos stretching for over 12 hours, leaving passengers, including women and children, without food, water, and toilet facilities.
The highway traffic police have appealed to motorists to avoid travelling on the expressway as far as possible until normal traffic movement is restored.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India's first 6-lane wide concrete, access-controlled tolled expressway. 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 around 5 pm on Tuesday.
The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at 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. As a precautionary measure, the police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai to prevent any untoward incident.
The Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for about a 2-km stretch due to the accident.
However, normal movement could not be restored due to a continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic even for Pune-bound motorists, an official at the expressway control room said.
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 the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus told PTI around midnight that their vehicle had been stationary for over six hours near the accident site, leaving passengers without food, water and toilet facilities.
Many motorists voiced their frustration on social media, with some describing the expressway as a "parking lot" and advising others to avoid travel unless necessary.
"Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a literal parking lot right now. Traffic crawling for hours near Lonavala and Khandala due to a truck overturn. If you absolutely don't have to travel, don't," wrote X user pranav_72.
The Pune-bound motorists were also inconvenienced due to the traffic snarls.
"Started my journey from Andheri West around 7 pm via cab. Will be reaching Pune around 3.40 am. Worst traffic experience I ever had," another X user, Sohit Manik, wrote.
The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police have advised motorists to avoid the Mumbai–Pune Expressway until regular traffic movement is restored.
The tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section on the Mumbai-bound corridor near the Adoshi tunnel, as per a statement of the highway traffic police shared by a spokesperson of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
A highly flammable gas leaked from the tanker after the accident, and all agencies concerned were working at the site on a war footing to contain the situation, it said.
The Mumbai-bound carriageway was closed in the interest of vehicle and commuter safety, leading to traffic congestion on both the Mumbai and Pune-bound lanes of the expressway, the statement added.
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Karnataka: Shop owner killed after dispute over payment for cigarette
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): A dispute allegedly triggered by alcohol consumption turned fatal following an argument over payment for a cigarette, claiming the life of a shop owner in the district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night, when four intoxicated youth allegedly assaulted a shop owner after he demanded payment for a cigarette, leading to his death, they added.
The deceased has been identified as Yallappa Durgappa Naik (48), the owner of a provision store.
According to police, the accused—residents of Kadoli village—had attended a fair and were returning in an inebriated state when they stopped at Naik’s shop to purchase a cigarette.
An argument reportedly broke out when Naik insisted on payment, following which the youth allegedly assaulted him.
He sustained severe injuries and succumbed while being shifted to a hospital, a senior police officer said.
Acting swiftly, Kakati police arrested all four accused within half an hour of the incident, the officer added.
The accused have been identified as Prajjwal Patil, Nikhil Chougale, Vivek Chougale and Shridhar Patil.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway, police said.
