PUNE: Thousands of commuters of all ages and backgrounds had a harrowing time for over 32 hours as traffic on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway was disrupted after a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene overturned near the Adoshi Tunnel on the Mumbai-bound carriageway around 4.45 pm on Tuesday.
- The accident occurred about 50m ahead of the tunnel in the Borghat stretch, which falls in the Khandala ghat section of Raigad district. Soon, gas began leaking from the damaged tanker.
- Strong safety concerns prompted the halting of vehicular traffic towards Mumbai and partially towards Pune, leading to a logjam spanning several kilometres and leaving commuters stranded overnight and through most of Wednesday. It was only around 10.30 pm that gas was transferred from the damaged tanker to a new one. The Mumbai-bound carriageway reopened after 1 am on Thursday following removal of the tanker with a crane.
- Stranded commuters: Among those trapped were children, senior citizens, and patients. Sunita Patil (57) was stuck in traffic for over seven hours. Her son Aadesh told TOI, “My brother, Sandesh, rode a two-wheeler — despite twowheelers being barred on the expressway — from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai to the accident site around 1 am on Wednesday to extricate her.”
- A Latur resident travelling with a cancer patient said, “I was taking my friend to Mumbai for treatment and we had an appointment with doctor at 8 am. We could not reach the hospital because of the road closure.”
- Wider disruption: While a 15-km stretch was log-jammed, sources said traffic disruption extended to around 50 km over 30 hours. Wasim Joad, a resident of Vimannagar, managed to reach Mumbai via Tamhini Ghat after returning to Pune, saying, “Though the journey was longer, I reached the destination as it was important.”
- Cause of accident: Police said the tanker overturned as the driver could not control speed on the slope near the tunnel. It was damaged at three spots on the valve, leading to leakage. Rescue teams — including NDRF, BPCL, disaster management officials, and fire brigade — rushed to the spot, but leakage could not be stopped, requiring chemical experts to be called in.
- Authorities’ response: Highway police superintendent Tanaji Chikhale said, “One of the three lanes from the Pune carriageway side was opened for vehicles moving towards Mumbai on Wednesday. We urged people planning to travel to Mumbai to take alternate routes via Tamhini Ghat, Malshej Ghat or Bhimashankar.” Light vehicles were diverted via Khopoli from the Magic Point, and entry was stopped near Kiwale in Pimpri Chinchwad.
- BPCL statement: BPCL officials said the recovery van could not be sent immediately as it was stationed at the Kochi refinery. “The expert team failed to arrest minor leakages in the tanker. Therefore, it was decided to de-contain the gas into other tankers to prevent escalation of risk. The tanker underwent mandatory checks before induction and was suitable for carrying the gas. The leakage occurred due to the accident, not any apparent design flaw. Nevertheless, this will be examined in the investigation,” a senior BPCL official told TOI.
- Legal action: An FIR has been registered against tanker driver Ratan Singh Uday Narayan (44) from Uttar Pradesh, who suffered minor injuries. He has been booked under sections of BNS and Motor Vehicles Act for rash and negligent driving. Raigad SP Aanchal Dalal said, “We are busy with the rescue operation and appropriate legal action, if any, will be decided later.”
- Impact on public transport: The expressway closure disrupted MSRTC services, forcing cancellation of 139 bus trips. MSRTC PRO Abhijeet Bhosale said, “Bus services will be normalised once the situation improves.” Private operators also faced disruptions, with Balasaheb Khedekar, president of the Pune District Luxury Bus Owners Association, noting, “There has been an advisory issued that one can use the Tamhini Ghat. However, the buses won’t have that way because of the risks and also that the alternative road will obviously get jammed.”
- Railways affected: Railway officials reported unusually high crowding on intercity trains between Pune and Mumbai, including the Deccan Queen, Deccan Express, Pragati Express, and Intercity Express.
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