after-expressway-chaos-sena-ubt-seeks-helipad-on-atal-setu

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Milind Narvekar on Sunday demanded the creation of helipad and emergency response facilities along the Mumbai–Pune Expressway and the Atal Setu, citing the recent 33-hour traffic paralysis triggered by an accident in the Khandala Ghat section.

In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Narvekar flagged the lack of emergency preparedness on key high-speed corridors linking Mumbai with Pune and Navi Mumbai, warning that such lapses could prove disastrous during major accidents or natural calamities.

The demand follows a massive traffic jam earlier this week after a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded for hours. Narvekar said he himself was caught in the congestion while travelling to Pune to meet family members of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28.

Also read: Mumbai-Pune Expressway reopens after 32-hour shutdown

“The Expressway chaos exposed serious gaps in emergency management. A helipad and rapid-response facilities are urgently needed on the Mumbai–Pune corridor and Atal Setu to handle medical emergencies and evacuations,” the MLC said.

Narvekar stressed that the opening of the Atal Setu, formerly the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, has sharply increased vehicular movement between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, intensifying the need for robust emergency infrastructure. The 21.8-km sea bridge, of which 16.5 km runs over the Arabian Sea, has cut travel time to around 20 minutes.

According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, over 83 lakh vehicles have used the Atal Setu in the past year.

He urged the state government to conduct an immediate review of emergency protocols on major expressways and sea bridges, noting that delays in rescue operations could cost lives.

Earlier, an industrialist had said he was forced to hire a helicopter to return to Pune after being stranded for nearly eight hours on the Expressway due to the traffic snarl.