Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A major traffic jam crippled the Ajanta ghat stretch on the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Jalgaon highway after an accident on Sunday morning led to congestion from 6 pm Sunday to 3.30 pm Monday. Traffic was restored only after 21 hours and 30 minutes.
Around 10 am Sunday, a trailer truck (MH-21-BH-9527) travelling from Jalna to Surat lost control while avoiding an oncoming vehicle and rammed into a rocky hillside in the ghat section. The impact damaged the engine, leaving the vehicle stranded. Traffic was initially regulated one way, but rising vehicular flow by evening triggered long queues.
A replacement engine was sent to tow the truck, but heavy congestion delayed its arrival. On Monday morning, a sand-laden truck broke down in the same stretch, worsening the gridlock. Ambulances, wedding processions, students returning after vacation and daily commuters were stuck for hours amid intense heat and narrow road conditions. Police personnel from Fardapur police station, including Akash Gawale, Firoz Tadvi and assistant Kedar Pawar, worked round-the-clock from Sunday night. Vehicles were cleared gradually, and the damaged truck was removed by 3.30 pm Monday, restoring normal traffic.