Mohol visits Pune accident site, calls for permanent solution; agencies to hold meeting on Nov 15

Pune, Nov 14 (PTI) A day after eight persons were killed in an accident on Pune's Navale bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol on Friday inspected the site and called for a permanent solution to prevent further tragedies on this treacherous stretch.

A meeting of various agencies will be held on Saturday to discuss and chalk out interim measures, he said.

Eight persons were killed and 14 others injured on Thursday evening after a car got crushed between two large container trucks, with a huge fire engulfing all three vehicles on the Navale Bridge, infamous as an accident-prone stretch on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.

Mohol, who represents the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, inspected the accident site in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and senior officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) along with local MLA Bhimrao Tapkir.

The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation said a meeting of all stakeholder agencies, including the NHAI, Public Works Department (PWD), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and the traffic department, will be convened on Saturday to discuss and finalise the interim measures.

Efforts will be intensified to fast-track an elevated corridor project between Narhe (near Sinhagad Road) and Ravet (in Pimpri Chinchwad area) via Sutarwadi.

In an accident occurred in November 2022 on the Navale Bridge, a truck hit more than 40 vehicles, of which at two dozens were heavily damaged. Around 20 persons were injured.

Mohol said, "After the 2022 crash, several short-term and long-term interventions were identified. Measures such as increasing the number of rumblers, deploying additional speed guns and closing gaps between two lanes, were implemented. These steps brought down accidents over the past two-three years." "However, the tragic loss of eight lives on Thursday shows that permanent solutions must now be expedited," he said.

Mohol said Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari earlier chaired meetings in Pune as well as Delhi following a string of crashes on the stretch.

"A 32-km elevated road between Jambhulwadi and Sutarwadi, and from Sutarwadi to Ravet, costing around Rs 6,000 crore, has been approved in principle and its detailed project report (DPR) is ready. We will follow up with Gadkariji for speedy execution of this long-term solution," he added.

As part of immediate measures, heavy vehicles entering the stretch will undergo brake and load checks near Khed Shivapur toll plaza, more rumblers will be used and additional speed enforcement will be done, Mohol said.

Service roads will be upgraded to ensure smooth traffic flow, and authorities will also examine possibilities of diverting heavy vehicles through alternative routes, he said.

"All agencies will meet tomorrow. If any lack of coordination is found between them, strict action will be taken," Mohol said. PTI SPK NP