Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A video showing nails hammered on the Maliwada bridge of the high-speed Samruddhi Expressway went viral on social media on Tuesday (September 9) night. The video created panic among motorists, leading to a traffic jam on the expressway. Police from Daulatabad police station and the Highway Division rushed to the spot and cleared the traffic.
Santosh Sanap, who was travelling from Jalna to Panvel on the expressway, shot the video claiming that thieves had hammered nails on the Maliwada flyover. He said, “Earlier too, I faced two such incidents. For the past hour, I have been calling the police, but no one has come. This has become a regular experience. Are we going to get any safety facilities on this expressway or not?”
At the spot, since there were no barricades placed, four cars suffered punctured tyres. This created panic among motorists. Many vehicles stopped to witness the situation, resulting in a long queue of vehicles.
Upon receiving the information, police inspector Rekha Londhe, PSI Sunil Bodke from Daulatabad Police Station, along with PSI (Highway branch) Mohan Chavan and his team, reached the site. The police managed to clear the traffic and restore order by 1.30 am.
Injectable nozzles kept for 24 hours
Ravishankar, supervisor of Megha Engineering, explained, “Maintenance work is underway on the Mahamarg. The process is called grouting. Aluminium injectable nozzles are drilled into the road surface using a drill machine. Chemicals are then injected through them, which seep into the cracks of the bridge and fill them. These nozzles were installed on Tuesday morning at 9 am, and after 24 hours, the upper part of the nozzles had been cut off.”
Four cars affected
According to Kailas Vaishnav and Gorakhnath Adha, who run puncture repair shops at Maliwada, between 2 am and 7 am, they repaired punctures of four cars. Aluminium nails—one or two each—were removed from the tyres of these vehicles. Passengers who arrived at the garage were in tears. They claimed that no barricades had been placed at the spot. Fortunately, the cars only suffered punctures and did not overturn, otherwise many lives could have been lost. It is learnt that on June 6 this year, a slab from the same bridge had collapsed.
Demands for safety of motorists on Mahamarg
Against this backdrop, the Vishwajyoti Motor Drivers and Owners Transport Association submitted a memorandum to Sangeeta Jaiswal, Chief Engineer of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). They stated that motorists speeding along the expressway had to travel with their lives at risk. Near Exit Gate No. 17 in Daulatabad limits, negligence during ‘epoxy grouting’ repair work by the contractor came to light at midnight on September 9. Because of this, some vehicle tyres burst. Fortunately, drivers exercised caution in time and a major accident was averted. This irresponsible incident has raised serious questions about passenger safety on the expressway.
The association stated that such incidents are alarming on a Mahamarg that sees heavy movement of farmers, traders, passengers, and transporters. The delegation comprising office-bearers include association’s state secretary Gokul Tupe, district president Mukesh Mangrule, Yuvraj Mogal, Bhimrao Dahifale, Rameshwar Chaudhary, Ganesh Mahamuni, Pintoo Ghait, Avinash Wathore, and others.