Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol Visits Pune Accident Site, Urges Permanent Solution

One day after eight people died in an accident on Pune’s Navale bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol inspected the site on Friday and called for a permanent solution to

prevent more tragedies on this dangerous stretch. He said that a meeting of various agencies will be held on Saturday to discuss and plan interim measures.

Eight people died and 14 others were injured on Thursday evening when a car was crushed between two large container trucks, causing a huge fire that engulfed all three vehicles on the Navale Bridge, which is known for frequent accidents on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.

Mohol, who represents the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, visited the accident site with Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, senior officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and local MLA Bhimrao Tapkir. The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation said that a meeting of all stakeholder agencies, including NHAI, Public Works Department (PWD), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and the traffic department, will be held on Saturday to discuss and finalize interim measures. Efforts will be increased to fast-track an elevated corridor project between Narhe (near Sinhagad Road) and Ravet (in Pimpri Chinchwad area) via Sutarwadi.

In a previous accident in November 2022 on the Navale Bridge, a truck hit more than 40 vehicles, with about two dozen heavily damaged and around 20 people injured. Mohol said, “After the 2022 crash, several short-term and long-term steps were identified. Measures like adding more rumblers, deploying extra speed guns, and closing gaps between lanes were implemented. These steps reduced accidents over the past two to three years.” “However, the tragic loss of eight lives on Thursday shows that permanent solutions must now be sped up,” he said.

Mohol mentioned that Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier chaired meetings in Pune and Delhi after a series of crashes on this stretch. “A 32-km elevated road between Jambhulwadi and Sutarwadi, and from Sutarwadi to Ravet, costing around Rs 6,000 crore, has been approved in principle and its detailed project report (DPR) is ready. We will follow up with Gadkariji for quick execution of this long-term solution,” he added.

As immediate measures, heavy vehicles entering the stretch will have brake and load checks near Khed Shivapur toll plaza, more rumblers will be installed, and extra speed enforcement will be done, Mohol said. Service roads will be upgraded for smoother traffic flow, and authorities will also look into diverting heavy vehicles through alternative routes, he said. “All agencies will meet tomorrow. If any lack of coordination is found between them, strict action will be taken,” Mohol said.