WiFi services on Mumbai-Pune Expressway put on hold as MSRDC puts driver safety as top priority

The Maharashtra government has decided to push the plan of having high-speed internet services on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and has instead gone ahead in prioritising driver safety instead.

An MSRDC official said that the plan to install WiFi services on the expressway was put on hold, as certain precautionary measures had to be taken before providing internet services. “We are first looking at engineering safety and have to complete capacity augmentation of the expressway before providing internet services,” the official added.

Earlier this year, MSRDC had announced that it would set up WiFi services on the expressway and had even invited telecom operators to bid proposals. “The plan was to have a proper communication system along the expressway. We recently installed telephone booths along the corridor, as the earlier ones were either not working or were missing,” the official added.

The MSRDC has been on receiving end since the past two years with the number of accidents increasing every year.  

Currently, MSRDC is also carrying out augmentation of the old Mumbai-Pune Highway and certain repair works like installing safety nets to avoid landslides and installation of new cement panels on the Expressway considering the old one's have developed cracks and needs to be replaced.