Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) would engage with firms transporting highly inflammable material on Mumbai-Pune expressway and hold both consigners and consignees accountable for any safety lapses, MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Anil Kumar Gaikwad told TOI on Saturday.The move follows the overturning of a propylene tanker near the Adoshi tunnel in the Khandala ghat section on Tuesday, which resulted in a massive 32-hour traffic jam, leaving thousands of commuters stranded as congestion stretched nearly 50km at its worst.“We plan to reach out to all refineries and carriers transporting highly inflammable materials. Both the consigner and consignee must take complete responsibility for safety while using the expressway… Such consignments must be accompanied by proper escort vehicles and have contingency plans for emergencies. While this was a rare incident, it offers important lessons,” Gaikwad said.After the mishap, CM Devendra Fadnavis ordered a detailed inquiry and directed MSRDC to prepare a comprehensive action plan to prevent similar incidents. “MSRDC will submit a detailed incident report after a full investigation. In addition to writing to refineries, we will request the highway police to tighten checks on hazardous consignments,” Gaikwad said.MSRDC will also set up a committee chaired by a former president of the Indian Roads Congress, New Delhi, to analyse lapses and recommend corrective measures, as well as standard operating procedures, for handling such situations.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde has directed MSRDC and highway police to develop a special emergency traffic management plan for the expressway, and expedite the long-delayed missing link project, to reduce travel time and act as an alternative route during crises.Gaikwad said congestion worsened as traffic from the old Mumbai-Pune highway merged onto the expressway. “Once the missing link is completed, this problem will be resolved. We aim to finish the work by March-end and open the stretch by May 1 (Maharashtra Day),” he said. The ghat section between Khopoli exit and Kusgaon, nearly 19km, has long been a bottleneck, which the 13.2km missing link is expected to significantly ease.GRAPHIC: No decision on toll refund yetOpposition leaders have criticised govt for continuing toll collection even though commuters were stuck for hours after the expressway mishap on TuesdayMSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Anil Kumar Gaikwad said toll operators had been instructed to stop collectionWith citizens and opposition parties demanding refunds, govt is examining the issue, though no final decision has been made yetAn inquiry will look into whether toll booths ignored MSRDC’s instructions to halt collectionActivists also demanded refunds, highlighting the lack of a policy requiring toll suspension during major traffic jamsVivek Velankar of Sajag Nagarik Manch said there should have been a rule mandating automatic toll suspension during heavy jams, noting past instances where people were stranded but tolls were still collectedVelankar criticised the lack of accountability among agencies managing the expressway, arguing that govt hands over responsibility to toll contractors, who then collect revenue but avoid accountability when problems occurCurrent Mumbai-Pune expressway toll contract is valid till 2045Toll tenure was fixed in 2018 when the missing link project was approved
