Thousands of people with their vehicles, including trucks and cars, have been stranded on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway since Tuesday, February 3, after a flammable gas tanker overturned near Adoshi Tunnel. Its bee more than 30 hours now, the traffic snarl on the busiest highway continues and created a nightmare for travellers, especially Mumbaikars.
Along with others, industrialist and chairman of Pinnacle Industries Limited, Sudhir Mehta, was rescued by a helicopter after facing 8 hours of traffic jams on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he said flow back to Pune.
"Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for “one gas tanker “ . For such emergencies we need to plan exits at different points on expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return," wrote Mehta on X.
Also Read | Mumbai–Pune Expressway Comes To A Standstill For Over 15 Hours; Alternative Routes Suggested For Commuters.
Mehta suggested to the government that creating a helipad required only one acre of land. He emphasised that it is necessary availability of helipads for emergency services, especially near expressways.
"Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lacs to make and require less than one acre of open area . These need to be mandatory at various points near the expressway for emergency evacuation. @nitinwelde thanks for your help to get back to pune today after being stuck for 8 hours," he wrote.
Describing the on-ground situation, the industrialist said, “This is the state of the #Mumbai #Pune highway. Complete free for all including wrong side driving . The lifeline of connectivity for the region is deteriorating by the day.” He also wrote, “Travelling on the same is playing roulette on one’s life plus 7 hours to reach.”
However, the traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway continues until Thursday morning after a cement-mixer breakdown between Talegaon and Marauli.