CM Devendra Fadnavis orders inquiry into 32-hour Mumbai-Pune Expressway disruption | Pune Information – The Instances of India

PUNE: CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the 32-hour site visitors disruption on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway brought on by an overturned propylene tanker and advised MSRDC to submit a plan to cope with such conditions.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde advised MSRDC and police to organize a “particular emergency site visitors plan” for the expressway to stop recurrence. In an official assertion, Shinde instructed that work on the continued Lacking Hyperlink undertaking be expedited, stating that it could cut back journey time and function another route throughout emergencies.

Hundreds of travellers have been stranded for hours after the tanker overturned close to Adoshi Tunnel on the Mumbai -bound carriageway in Khandala ghat part. Whereas a 15km stretch was logjammed, site visitors disruption prolonged to round 50km. Round 1am Thursday, the hall was reopened for site visitors motion. By means of the day, vehicular motion onthe carriageway remained sluggish as heavy automobiles that have been parked alongside the expressway resumed journey.Politicians, notably from the opposition, criticised the govt. for gathering toll from commuters who remained stranded on the expressway for hours.After the 32-hour site visitors disruption on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and Shiv Sena UBT’s Aaditya Thackeray questioned the govt. over “the shortage of different preparations and the absence of a correct emergency response plan to handle such crises”. “A fundamental intervention might have helped by reaching out to the individuals and providing meals, water and bogs at sure distances from the place they have been caught,” Thackeray wrote on X.Sapkal stated, “At a time when such a disaster was reported, govt had no various preparations and emergency plan… that is the true image of so-called growth.” MNS chief Raj Thackeray wrote on X: “The govt. ought to refund the toll that was collected from passengers throughout this era.”Activist Vijay Kumbhar stated gathering toll with out offering companies amounted to a violation. “As per the Nationwide Freeway Charge Guidelines, automobiles needs to be allowed to move toll-free if ready time exceeds 3 minutes or if queues stretch past 100 metres,” he stated. A senior MSRDC official stated toll assortment was stopped inside a couple of hours after the incident and there have been no directions from the govt. or higherups within the division relating to refund.Freeway SP Tanaji Chikhale advised TOI that whereas site visitors on the Pune-bound hall moved usually Thursday, the Mumbai-bound lane witnessed sluggish motion as vans and different heavy automobiles parked alongside the roadside and at meals malls, some so far as Satara and Kolhapur, started heading in the direction of their respective locations.“Many drivers have been asleep when the street opened round 1.30am on Thursday. They began shifting later within the morning,” he stated. A state freeway police officer stated site visitors returned to regular round 1.30pm on Thursday.Pravin Paithankar, president of the Maharashtra Heavy Transport and Inter-State Container Operators Affiliation, stated specialised tankers used for hazardous fuel transport are designed to stop leakage even when a automobile overturns, highlighting the necessity for stronger infrastructure corrections slightly than blaming operators.Pune’s district administration stated it was making ready an SOP to cope with such conditions. Describing Tuesday’s incident as “distinctive”, district collector Jitendra Dudi stated varied features can be thought-about whereas making ready the SOP. It would embody making ready various routes for site visitors motion, rerouting site visitors to keep away from bunching of automobiles, planning exit and entry factors for automobiles and offering fundamental companies to commuters reminiscent of meals packets and the availability of bogs.Dudi stated coordinated efforts can be collectively deliberate by the Pune and Raigad administrations to tide over such conditions.