In the last 20 years since its inauguration, over 2,000 people have died in mishaps on the Expressway.(Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)Even as the Maharashtra government on Monday promised to take a decision on converting the 6-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway into an 8-lane one, experts have questioned the government’s move, expressing doubts about whether the expansion will reduce the number of fatal accidents on the Expressway. In the last 20 years since its inauguration, over 2,000 people have died in mishaps on the Expressway.
On Monday, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar demanded in the state Assembly that the Expressway be converted into an 8-lane one. Pawar was raising his concerns about the increasing rate of accidents on the Expressway, where Shiv Sangram leader Vinayak Mete lost his life in an accident last week. “We will soon take a decision regarding turning the Expressway into an 8-lane one,” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the House.
The government’s announcement has come under the scanner from experts who believe that increasing the width of the highway is not a solution towards reducing the number of accidents.
Prashant Inamdar, an expert who heads Pedestrians First, an NGO, said, “How will this resolve the problem of accidents? The biggest problem on the Expressway is brazen lane cutting by drivers. All kinds of vehicles indulge in cutting lanes, which is a major cause of accidents.”
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Tanmay Pendse, who lost his brother, Marathi actor Akshay Pendse, and nephew Pratyush, in an Expressway accident in December 2012, alleged that there was lack of seriousness on the part of the government in putting an effective mechanism in place to prevent accidents.
“In 2016, we had submitted an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) plan to the government. Except for installing CCTVs only at 12 spots, nothing much has been done. CCTVs are the best bet when it comes to catching over-speeding vehicles. If the entire Expressway is brought under the network of CCTVs, I think it will send out a message to those overspeeding,” Pendse said.