Videos showing severe waterlogging at the Food Mall on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have gone viral on social media. The footage shows people wading through knee-deep water, while officials use lifeboats to rescue stranded people and animals. The situation follows incessant heavy rainfall that has continued to batter the region.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has suspended all bus services between Pune and Mumbai until further orders.
According to MSRTC officials, four ST buses that had departed from Pune for Mumbai on Monday morning were stranded near the Urse toll plaza due to the road closure. The buses were safely turned back and brought to Pune.
Passengers have been advised not to plan travel between Pune and Mumbai until the route is declared safe and traffic movement resumes.
"We have suspended all ST bus services between Pune and Mumbai until further orders due to the landslide on the route. The four buses that had left Pune this morning and were stranded near the Urse toll plaza have been safely brought back to Pune. We appeal to passengers to cooperate and avoid planning travel until the road is cleared," said Kamlesh Dhanrale, Divisional Transport Officer, MSRTC Pune Division.
Moreover, rail traffic between Pune and Mumbai was also severely disrupted on Monday after a landslide occurred in the Monkey Hill ghat section of the Mumbai Division. The landslide, reported between Thakurwadi (TKW) and Monkey Hill (MHLC), affected the Middle Line and Up Main Line, forcing Central Railway to cancel, divert, short-terminate and reschedule several train services.
