Govt blames drivers for accidents on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil blames the drivers for the alarming number of accidents on the busy Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

"In January-February 2012, a total of 46 accidents occurred, in which 17 people died and 24 were injured," a written reply filed by the minister to a question asked by Chandrakant Patil, a Member of Legislative Council, said.

According to Patil, 36 accidents took place on the Expressway in December. "These accidents occurred due to drivers' mistakes.

"Highway police have penalised 95,353 errant drivers from August 2009 to February 2012, and collected Rs 1,11,56,700 in fine," the minister said.

Patil added that to curb the accidents on the Expressway, government was taking several measures, such as putting up warning notice boards, installation of crash-barriers, guide walls, putting up reflectors on the accident-prone stretches, and building side-walls in ghat sections.

Highway police patrolled the Expressway by day, while night patrolling was the responsibility of private maintenance contractor, IRB, the reply said.