The driver of the 15-tonne tanker, containing propylene gas, noticed the leakage at Urse toll naka near Talegaon Dabhade at about 8:30pm. This led to the road being blocked.
Movement of vehicles on the Pune-Mumbai stretch of the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway was completely paralysed for over 15 hours since Tuesday night after leakage of highly inflammable substance was detected in a tanker with registration number HR-38-H-8772.
The driver of the 15-tonne tanker, containing propylene gas, noticed the leakage at Urse toll naka near Talegaon Dabhade at about 8:30pm. This led to the road being blocked.
Since the gas was extremely inflammable, the highway police immediately stopped all movement of vehicles from Pune to Mumbai.
It was around 11:45am on Wednesday that things normalised after the gas was transferred to another container.
Pune highway police inspector Ashok Chavan told DNA that the iron bar at the naka, which is lifted once the toll is paid, suddenly dropped and hit a valve of the vehicle at its back when it was crossing. As a result, the gas started leaking.
After travelling about 50 metres, the driver realised the leakage and stopped the container. He informed the police and other authorities at the expressway at once. Movement of vehicles was stopped.
The police diverted all Mumbai-bound vehicles from Kiwale and Somatne Phata towards the old Pune-Mumbai highway.
The police said that the container belonged to Deepak Fertilizer. The Hinjewadi Fire Brigade rushed to the spot and sprayed water so that the leaked gas was diluted and condensed and its effect reduced.
A team from Hindustan Petroleum at Chakan and Taloja also reached the spot later in the night and tried to stop the leakage. But when they were not successful, another container from Mumbai was summoned and the gas was refilled in it.
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