Pimpri-Chinchwad: In a major humanitarian effort, Pune Rural Police officers have begun distributing food and water to thousands of commuters who have remained stranded on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway for over 18 hours on Wednesday afternoon.
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The initiative was launched following a massive gridlock caused by a chemical tanker accident near the Adoshi Tunnel in the Raigad District. The accident has effectively paralysed the key Maharashtra corridor since Tuesday evening.
Under the direct guidance of Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, personnel from the Lonavala City Police Station have been deployed along the highway to reach those trapped in the 50-kilometre-long vehicle queues.
Viral videos from the scene show officers wading through rows of stationary cars on two-wheelers and handing out packets of biscuits and bottled water to exhausted travellers. The police are helping small children, senior citizens, and patients who have been without basic necessities since Tuesday night.
The crisis began at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday when a tanker carrying highly flammable gas overturned and began leaking. The accident forced authorities to halt all traffic for safety reasons. Technical teams worked through the night to clear the wreckage and mitigate the gas leak. However, the sheer volume of vehicles on both the Expressway and the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway caused a total systemic collapse of local traffic movement.
By Wednesday afternoon, many passengers reported being stuck in the same spot for nearly a full day. With the winter season fading, the temperature is high, leaving citizens facing extreme heat and a lack of restroom facilities.
Police officials stated that the relief distribution is a priority to ensure the well-being of vulnerable passengers, particularly those travelling for medical emergencies. Among the stranded are several cancer patients and families travelling from distant districts like Latur, who found themselves caught in the congestion while heading to Mumbai hospitals.
SP Sandeep Singh Gill’s team has emphasised that they will continue to provide essential supplies until the recovery process at the Adoshi Tunnel is complete and traffic flow returns to normal.
Local authorities continue to advise motorists to avoid the Expressway entirely and seek alternative routes through the Tamhini or Malshej Ghats.
Although one-way traffic has been intermittently resumed in a controlled manner, the backlog of vehicles remains so substantial that officials expect the congestion to persist well into Wednesday evening.
