Traffic on Pune-Mumbai expressway came to a standstill on Friday for five hours near Khandala after the leakage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from a tanker. Long queues of vehicles could be seen both on the expressway and old Pune-Mumbai highway.
The vehicles stuck in traffic included cars, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses and containers. Commuters had a tough time dealing with the traffic jam and the scorching heat.
Nandu Bhogale, one of the travellers from Pune told dna, “ We were travelling to Mumbai to attend a marriage. However, we were stuck in traffic for over five hours. Ultimately we had to cancel our plan and returned to Pune when movement of traffic resumed.”
Kishor Joshi, another traveller, said, “It is summer and therefore I started my journey from Pune to Mumbai early in the morning thinking I would reach Mumbai by noon. But I was stuck in the scorching heat for more than five hours. The traffic halted right in the ghat section of the expressway in Khandala, where there are no eateries, therefore travellers had a tough time.”
Vaishali Ghare, another traveller, said, “My family and me really had a tough time as it was very difficult to spend more than five hours under the sun without food and water.”
The road blockage on the expressway also hampered the MSRTC service on Friday as the state transport company had to cancel some trips between Pune and Mumbai due to the delay in service. Vilas Patil, senior depot manager of Shivajinagar ST depot said, “We have nearly 100 trips now due to the summer vacations. There is a rush for all the trips.
However, on Friday, many of the buses travelling from Mumbai to Pune reached six hours late and that disturbed the schedule. We had to cancel almost 30 trips as buses were not running on time.”
){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}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}