The Expressway has been affected by similar mishaps in the past, and in 2013, a gas tanker accident in Indapur on the Pune-Solapur highway killed one and damaged vehicles.
The public sector oil marketing companies have firmed up a plan to prevent mishaps during transportation of petrol, diesel and gas.
A presentation in this regard was held before the state Home and transport department officials recently. This is aimed at preventing mishaps during transportation of liquid fuel and gas, like the one on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in February, when an oil tanker toppled over, causing an oil spill and traffic jam.
The Expressway has been affected by similar mishaps in the past, and in 2013, a gas tanker accident in Indapur on the Pune-Solapur highway killed one and damaged vehicles.
A senior Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) official, who attended the presentation, said they were adopting a multi-disciplinary approach. He added that they wanted to bring in vehicle optimisation by introducing higher capacity tank lorries with 20 kilo litres (KL) capacity as against the normal 12 KL. This will translate into lesser trips and lower accidents for vehicles. However, these smaller vehicles will be used for servicing old areas of the city that are congested.
The use of anti-lock braking systems in vehicles to prevent skidding has already been implemented up to 80% in the western region by the BPCL, with plans to scale it up to 100% by August-end. Use of side crash guards, retractable seat belts, speed governors, a vehicle tracking system to detect deviations from the determined route, and alerts to company officials and transporters in cases of overspeeding will also be implemented.
"These features will be made mandatory in all new tenders for inducting tank lorries," the official said.
Physical route verification, periodic fitness certifications for tank lorries, safety checks, training and refresher courses for drivers, health check-ups, enrolling tank lorry crew and their family members for various welfare measures was being done.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "mishaps")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}