‘Connecting Link’ Hit By Landslide Within Months Of Opening
The Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway was immediately closed and authorities initially suspended traffic in both directions. But the Mumbai-to-Pune carriageway was reopened around 10 am. The Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted through the old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48).
Mumbai: Barely months after it was opened to traffic, the much-touted ‘Connecting Link’ of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway – one of Maharashtra’s most ambitious infrastructure projects – faced scrutiny over its resilience as heavy rains triggered a landslide near one of its tunnels causing extensive damage to a retaining wall. The mishap brought traffic to a standstill, causing thousands of commuters inordinate delays and inconvenience in relentless rains.
According to the State Highway Police, the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday following continuous heavy rainfall. Officials said a landslide took place near the end of the first tunnel on the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway of the Missing Link, damaging a retaining wall and rendering the route unsafe for traffic. The landslide also resulted in a heavy flow of water on the carriageway.
The Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway was immediately closed and authorities initially suspended traffic in both directions. But the Mumbai-to-Pune carriageway was reopened around 10 am. The Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted through the old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48). However, it was also closed after overflowing water inundated multiple stretches, stranding commuters and severely disrupting travel between the two cities.
Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said in an X post, “There is a landslide occurred near the tunnel 2 exit of Pune to Mumbai lane of Pune to Mumbai Connecting Link Road, amidst extremely heavy ongoing rainfall. For safety reasons, the traffic is diverted since 4 AM. We are constantly monitoring the situation in close coordination with the Highway Traffic Police.”
The Missing Link project, inaugurated around two months ago, is a 13-km bypass on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that passes through the Sahyadri hills (Western Ghats), a region that receives between 3,000 and 6,000 mm of rainfall annually and is well known for landslides during the southwest monsoon. Designed to ease congestion on the Khandala Ghat section, the Link reduces the travel distance by about 6 km and cuts journey time between Pune and Mumbai by an estimated 25 to 30 minutes.
Built at a cost of nearly ₹7,000 crore, the project was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in May this year and he had described it as an ‘engineering marvel’ and an ‘iconic project.’ “The Missing Link between Mumbai and Pune is no more missing!” he had said.
However, the project was mired in controversy a few days back over the appearance of potholes on the freshly laid pavement. The MSRDC has directed contractors to carry out immediate repairs while examining whether the damage is limited to the road surface or points to deeper construction issues involving materials, drainage or workmanship.
The landslide incident has raised questions over the Missing Link project, with the Opposition targeting the BJP-led Mahayuti government over the quality of construction. “For all the ‘infra watchers and believers,’ the cost of this link has been escalated by thousands of crores. It has now had a landslide and much more within 2 months of its checks and inaugurations,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said in a tweet.
He also shared his experience of using the stretch on his way to Pune and back and alleged that the road work was shoddy. “Using it while on the way to Pune and back, I noticed and stated publicly also that not even 50 ft of the road is flat. It is all undulated and feels like one is sitting in a boat, riding the waves,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged that corruption had compromised the project. “The corruption is so huge that contractors were forced to spend over 50 per cent on paying kickbacks to MLAs, MPs, ministers and government officers, resulting in shabby work that collapsed within nine weeks of its inauguration. The Rs 7,000 crore spent on the Missing Link has been washed away in the rain,” he alleged.
Responding to the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the collapse to unprecedented rainfall.
“There are many things that are beyond our control. The rain was so heavy that it caused the landslide at the Missing Link. For the first time, a landslide took place on that particular portion of the highway. That resulted in over 100 tonnes of debris accumulating on the road. However, the fire brigade and other government personnel immediately rushed to the spot and cleared the debris,” Fadnavis said