Mumbai: A major accident involving a gas tanker on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway brought traffic to a near halt on Tuesday evening, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for hours and causing widespread disruption to transport and essential supplies.
The tanker, carrying propylene gas, overturned on the Mumbai-bound carriageway around 5 pm, forcing authorities to shut the stretch entirely as a safety precaution. Within hours, vehicles were backed up for nearly 20 kilometres, with long lines of cars, buses and trucks standing motionless in the ghat section.
Passengers, including families with children, remained stuck in their vehicles well into the night, many without access to food, drinking water or toilet facilities. The prolonged standstill triggered public anger, prompting the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to suspend toll collection on the expressway.
Emergency response teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), highway police and MSRDC, were rushed to the site to prevent any gas leak and manage the high-risk situation.
According to officials, the propylene gas was carefully offloaded into other tankers late Wednesday night. Once the transfer was completed, heavy-duty cranes were deployed to remove the damaged vehicle from the roadway.
An MSRDC official said traffic on the Mumbai-bound side was finally reopened at 1.46 am after the tanker was cleared from the accident spot. Movement through the ghat section improved gradually, although congestion lingered as several heavy vehicles remained trapped in the backlog.
Police said normal traffic flow was restored within the next few hours. However, commuters faced fresh delays on Thursday morning when a few heavy vehicles broke down near the Amrutanjan Bridge around 7.30 am, briefly slowing movement in the same stretch.
The accident also had a cascading effect on public transport. Several Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses were stranded overnight, leading to the cancellation of multiple scheduled services. The long delay further impacted the supply chain, with trucks carrying milk, vegetables and other essential commodities stuck on the expressway for extended periods.
Authorities said safety protocols were followed throughout the operation to ensure there was no threat to commuters or nearby areas. Traffic conditions have since stabilised, though officials have urged motorists to remain cautious while travelling through the ghat section.
