Mumbai, July 15 -- The Pune Expressway was reopened to vehicular traffic after accumulated water and debris from landslides were cleared, the traffic police said. Police sub-inspector Karan Shikalgar said vehicles were being allowed to proceed and that officers were organising movement and prepared to divert traffic to the old route if obstacles appeared.
Earlier, authorities had closed roads between Pune and Mumbai as relentless rains over the past 48 hours caused landslides and waterlogging in various areas. A landslide at Tunnel No. 40 on the Mumbai-Pune railway route prompted railway authorities to undertake debris removal on a war footing as they worked to restore services.
Pune Traffic superintendent Shivaji Pawar appealed for travellers to postpone journeys from Pune to Mumbai and advised that only emergency travel from Mumbai to Pune continue, as the connecting link on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway remained closed and the old expressway route was waterlogged. The Mumbai-to-Pune lane continued to be operational but traffic moved slowly, and authorities said full details would be provided once roads were cleared.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation forecast very heavy continuous rain in Mumbai and suburbs and warned of occasional gusty winds likely to reach speeds of 60-70 kmph, prompting a red alert for the city. The forecast showed an average rainfall of 105.24 mm in the city in the last 24 hours, with eastern and western suburbs recording 161.11 mm and 159.40 mm respectively, and tide levels were expected to reach highs of 4.08 metre and 3.44 metre at specified times. Fire brigade teams were clearing a fallen tree in the Colaba area that blocked a road near a military zone, while railway services between Mumbai and Pune were disrupted with cancellations and diversions and trains running at restricted speed after heavy rainfall in Palghar of 300 mm in the last two hours caused inundation in Vasai to Virar and flooding in Nalasopara.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.