Maharashtra PWD Minister Dada Bhuse informed the state legislative council on Friday that a total of 142 individuals have lost their lives in accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway since the inauguration of its first phase one year ago.
He was responding to a calling attention motion about the high frequency of accidents on the expressway. The first 520-km-long phase of the road linking Nagpur and Shirdi was opened for traffic in December 2022.
In a briefing to the House, the minister revealed that there have been 73 significant accidents on the expressway since its inauguration, resulting in the tragic loss of 142 lives.
Some 66 lakh vehicles have plied on the road so far, Bhuse said. Seventy per cent of the barrier construction work on both sides has been completed, he said, adding that 16 “station points” with facilities including petrol pumps, eateries and toilets will come up in the next four months.
Twelve persons were killed in an accident on the road on October 14. Before that, 25 passengers were charred to death on July 1 when a private sleeper bus caught fire after hitting the divider.