Helicopter To The Rescue! Industrialist Sudhir Mehta Takes Chopper Ride After Being Stuck in 8-Hour Traffic On Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Pune: A massive traffic standstill on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway forced an industrialist to take a helicopter to Pune after being stuck on the highway for eight hours, drawing attention to the scale of the disruption and the lack of emergency evacuation infrastructure on one of India’s busiest corridors.

The traffic jam, ongoing for almost 24 hours, began after a gas tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned near the Adoshi tunnel in the Bor Ghat stretch of Raigad district. As a safety measure, authorities halted traffic movement on key sections of the expressway, leading to an unprecedented gridlock that left thousands of vehicles stranded for several hours.

Among those caught in the jam was Sudhir Mehta, chairman of EKA Mobility and Pinnacle Industries. After spending around eight hours inside his vehicle with little movement ahead, Mehta arranged a helicopter pickup to complete his journey to Pune.

Sharing aerial pictures from his helicopter ride, Mehta said, “Lacs of people are stuck on the Mumbai-Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for "one gas tanker"."

Mehta also called for the creation of basic helipads at strategic locations along the expressway, arguing that such infrastructure could allow for quicker evacuations during  emergencies. He noted that the cost and land requirement for helipads would be minimal compared to the scale of disruption witnessed.

He wrote on X, “For such emergencies we need to plan exits at different points on expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return. Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lacs to make  and require less than one acre of open area. These need to be mandatory at various points near the expressway for emergency evacuation. Nitin Welde, thanks for your help to get back to Pune today after being stuck for eight hours."

Also Read- Mumbai-Pune Expressway Traffic Chaos: Gas Tanker Overturns Near Adoshi Tunnel, 15 Hour Jam Leaves Thousands Stranded