Pune, Feb. 4 -- What began as a safety shutdown after a hazardous gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi Tunnel turned into a human ordeal for thousands of commuters, with families, elderly passengers, children, and professionals stranded for up to 15 hours on the Mumbai-Pune corridor without access to toilets, drinking water, or food, as traffic crawled or remained at a standstill for most of Tuesday night and Wednesday.

For many, the gridlock was not just about delay but dignity and distress.

Near Khalapur Toll Plaza, Pune resident Rohit More was stranded overnight with his two children, aged one and three. "There are no toilets, no place to even step out safely. Managing infants inside a parked car for hours is exhausting," he said. "...