7 dead in last 18 days on Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway

NAGPUR: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials are silent on the increasing mishaps on the so-called motorist friendly Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg.
The 520km e-way from Nagpur to Shirdi was commissioned on December 11 by PM Narendra Modi. As per media reports, at least 40 accidents in various patches have occurred claiming seven lives and injuring 33 people in the last 18 days. MSRDC officials promised to come up with figures on the number of mishaps, injured, and the dead, but did not respond later.
Transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar has convened a meeting to consider measures to curb mishaps on the e-way, on Friday at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) Nagpur. RTOs and deputy RTOs of all districts through which the e-way passes between Nagpur and Shirdi will attend the meeting. On Thursday, Bhimanwar inspected the e-way between Nagpur and Pulgaon. He was accompanied by officials from the RTO, MSRDC and transport department.
The ghastly mishap near Karanja (Lad) on Wednesday, in which city lawyer Ajay Joshi lost his wife and six-year-old daughter, has evoked sharp reactions from people. The accidents have forced many travellers to sound a note of caution while driving on the expressway and want the road agency to close the expressway till the flaws are rectified.
Akshita Vyas, who travelled with her family on the e-way on December 16, said, “Though the road is straight and elevated, and one can reach Nagpur from Shirdi in six hours, I would suggest people not to travel on Samruddhi at night. There are no utilities like petrol pumps, resting places, garages, motels, or food joints. If anything goes wrong no help will reach, as it happened with the family that met with an accident.”
Environmentalist Debi Goenka of Mumbai, who travelled to Shirdi two days ago, said, “Incomplete works on the e-way are still being done, and I saw workers crossing the road from both sides risking lives. At many places, the illumination was poor and there were stray dogs at many spots. I saw goats grazing on the roadside at one place and also langurs near Mehkar sitting on the crash barrier attempting to cross the e-way. Even though I maintained the prescribed speed of 120kmph, a couple of SUVs were speeding at 180kmph overtook my vehicle. The highway should be closed till all the loopholes are plugged.”
“The speed limit on this e-way is 120kmph, which leaves little margin for error. An accident rate of two per day with multiple fatalities is way too high and points to systemic flaws. After all, Samruddhi is not the first expressway in the country,” says Milind Pariwakam, road ecologist from Landscape Research & Conservation Foundation (LRCF), Nagpur.
Pariwakam says, “For an e-way which has been allegedly designed for speeds of 150-160kmph, why should there be black spots? Are there flaws in the design, or is implementation lacking? Pre-launch inspection reports and those from new inquiries must be put up in the public domain and accountability fixed to give justice to dead travellers. After all, the lawyer who lost his wife and daughter will live with the lifelong trauma of having been involved in an accident that resulted in the loss of two of his closest family members.”
Amruta Giradkar, who travelled to Shirdi four days ago, said, “The road is good but it is the speed that is proving to be the killer. One should avoid night travel. There are no utilities between Nagpur and Akola. Travellers have to move out from given exits for fuel and food or vehicle repairs. There is a need to install speed guns and cameras. At places, there are breaches along the roadside from where animals enter the highway.”
Swachha Association founder Anasuya Kale-Chhabrani, who had written to the PM to defer the inauguration till the e-way is fully completed, said, “Our fears have come true. The MSRDC should be held responsible for the mishaps. No help came from the road agency for 1.5 hrs after the Wednesday mishap. It had promised that as the e-way will be closed from both sides not a single animal would enter the highway. The e-way should be closed till all pending works are completed.”