There was chaos on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samriddhi Highway when tires of more than 50 vehicles were punctured by an iron board that fell on the road. The incident happened around 10 pm. On December 29, between Malegaon and Vanoja toll plaza in Washim district, four-wheelers and goods trucks were involved. This caused a long traffic jam on the freeway.
Additionally, vehicles remained stuck on the road overnight as no help arrived for a long time. The matter of falling of the board is under investigation and it is being ascertained whether it was dropped inadvertently or thrown maliciously.
This comes at a time when the safety of the high-speed corridor is being questioned. In June, six people were killed and four injured in a fatal accident near Kadwanchi village in Jalna district.
Such accidents have raised concerns about the safety precautions taken for vehicles and passengers on the road.
Samruddhi Mahamarg is a 701-km six-lane motorway in Maharashtra, which is only half operational. It is one of the longest greenfield road projects in the country, connecting Nagpur, the state’s third largest city, with Mumbai. Its construction cost was Rs 55,000 crore.
NHAI will focus on quality construction in 2025
After constructing a record 56,700 km of National Highways (NH) in the country in the last 10 years, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will focus on the quality of construction and maintenance of National Highways in 2025.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is primarily responsible for the development, operation and maintenance of national highways. The length of national highways has now increased from 0.91 lakh kilometers in 2013-14 to 1.46 lakh kilometers.
Newly appointed Highway Secretary V. Umashankar has held several meetings to enhance the quality of construction and maintenance of national highways.
Maha Kumbh 2025: Big announcement for Akharas and Kalpavasis in Maha Kumbh, flour will be available at the rate of ₹ 5, rice also available for ₹ 6