Traffic on Pune-Mumbai Expressway diverted after hazardous gas leak from tanker

The traffic on the PuneMumbai Expressway was diverted after a highly inflammable gas leak following an accident involving a tanker was reported along the route near Adoshi tunnel at the Borghat stretch officials saidConsidering the volatile nature of the gas traffic on the Mumbaibound corridor was stopped as a precautionary measure by the Highway Security PoliceAccording to the officials to manage and prevent congestion authorities later opened one lane of the Punebound corridor for vehicles heading towards Mumbai around 730 pm while vehicles travelling towards Pune were allowed to use the remaining two lanes after shifting the median barrierLight vehicles heading towards Mumbai were diverted at km 42400 near Magic Point via the old Khopoli highwayTraffic diversions were implemented under the supervision of the Highway Security Patrol team officials saidVolatile gas leak forces shutdown of Mumbaibound corridorA chemical gas tanker heading from Pune to Mumbai overturned on the Mumbaibound carriageway of the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway on Tuesday evening forcing authorities to halt traffic for hours due to a hazardous gas leakThe accident occurred around 5 pm on Tuesday near the Adoshi tunnel in the Borghat stretchThe officials said the tanker was carrying propylene gas a highly inflammable substance Following the mishap the tanker sustained damage at three valve points leading to gas leakageEmergency services rushed to the spotAfter receiving alerts from patrolling teams emergency response resources including quick response vehicles ambulances firefighting equipment Delta Force personnel and heavy machinery were immediately deployed at the siteAdditional fire tenders from Tata Steel and the Khopoli Municipal Council were also pressed into serviceGas tanker accident exposes lack of preparedness says AIMTC former presidentBal Malkit Singh advisor and former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress AIMTC on Wednesday criticised authorities over the prolonged disruption caused by the gas tanker accident on the MumbaindashPune ExpresswaySingh said the incident which has persisted for nearly 26 hours exposed a lack of preparedness in handling such emergencies ldquoNormalcy has still not been restored causing severe inconvenience to commuters and massive losses to the transport industryrdquo he saidHe added that the movement of perishable goods raw materials and finished products has been badly affected disrupting timebound deliveries and resulting in substantial financial losses for industries Transport operators and drivers are facing undue hardship including financial losses due to prolonged detention of vehiclesldquoDespite paying heavy toll charges and multiple taxes the transport fraternity continues to suffer due to inadequate infrastructure and poor emergency response mechanismsrdquo Singh said urging the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC and other concerned agencies to strengthen infrastructure and contingency planning to ensure such situations are handled efficiently in the future