Mumbai: Commuters on the Mumbai-Pune route faced a gruelling ordeal as a massive traffic gridlock paralysed traffic on the Mankhurd Bridge. Among the hundreds of frustrated travellers was Dil Chahta Hai fame actress Sonali Kulkarni, who took to social media to document the harrowing experience. In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Kulkarni revealed the extent of the chaos, claiming to have been stuck in the same spot for 5 hours while trying to travel to Pune.
The footage shared by the actress showcased a daunting scene of bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching into the night, with cars, buses, and heavy trucks completely immobilised. Kulkarni, visibly distressed by the lack of progress, emphasised the severity of the situation. "It’s been exactly five hours... five hours that we are stuck here," she stated, panning her camera to show the endless line of vehicles. "You can see the traffic behind me and ahead of me. We are completely stuck because we can't turn back either."
'Authorities Asked Me To Have Patience': Sonali Kulkarni
The actress further detailed her attempts to get answers from the traffic authorities, though the responses offered little comfort to those stranded on the bridge. Kulkarni mentioned that after contacting the traffic control team, she was simply told to remain patient. "They are saying to have patience, the jam is really bad and they are not sure when the jam will get resolved," she shared. The uncertainty of the situation, combined with the inability to exit the highway or find basic amenities, turned the commute into a test of endurance.
As the wait crossed the five-hour mark, Kulkarni’s tone shifted from frustration to genuine concern for the welfare of those around her. She made a public plea for intervention, asking for any form of update or assistance from the police. "If you can come from the other side and let us know... if you can help us or give us an update, please do," she urged. Reflecting on the physical and mental toll of the standstill, she added, "I know people must have gone through much more terrible scenarios than us, but this is scary. Five hours at just one position."
What Caused The Accident?
The massive traffic jam raised serious concerns over construction safety after an excavator-mounted drilling crane collapsed onto the busy Sion–Panvel route in the Mankhurd area late on the night of April 28. The accident brought traffic to a standstill across Mankhurd, Chembur, and nearby stretches, with congestion spilling well into the following day.
Amid the chaos, a police constable who had been caught in the traffic was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries. The deceased has been identified as Santosh Gopal Chavan, who had served in the police force for 23 years. Attached to Nehru Nagar police station and deputed to the Eastern Region Control Room, Chavan had completed his duty that night and was returning home to Panvel on his motorcycle when the tragic incident took place.
