Pune, May 1 (PTI) Traffic gridlocks were witnessed on Mumbai-Pune Expressway as the “Missing Link” connector road was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, prompting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to apologise to stranded travelers including NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule.
Sule, who was among hundreds of people travelling from Mumbai to Pune on weekend, claimed she was stuck in traffic for two hours in the morning, before the inauguration of the project.
The Baramati MP shared a video on social media showing long queues of vehicles behind and ahead of her car.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said CM Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde flew to the inauguration site, but people suffered due to the resultant traffic chaos. “If the people lose their patience, they will make the ruling parties go ‘missing’,” he said.
Pradhan also said that with this project, another dream of Sena (UBT) chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has been realised.
Fadnavis, who inaugurated the 13.3-km-long road, acknowledged that the ceremony caused traffic jaims.
Addressing a press conference at the inauguration ceremony, he said, “I would like to apologise to commuters travelling from Mumbai to Pune as they had to face traffic congestion. Supriya tai (Supriya Sule) was also stranded, and she posted a video. I would like to tell her that this is the last time you have been stranded in traffic. With the connecting link now operational, you will not face such issues while travelling between Mumbai and Pune.” The CM also scored a political point by stating that the BJP-led government completed a project that had been stalled during the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule.
The ‘Missing Link’ connects Khopoli (in Raigad district) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district. It is expected to make the 94-km-long expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the hilly ghat section.
Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge, and bypasses the steep and accident-prone ghat section. PTI SPK PR RSY KRK
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