1 tanker blocks 20,000 vehicles

The propane-carrying container blocked the highway for 24 hours

Traffic on the Mumbai-Agra highway was blocked for more than 24 hours as a tanker carrying 16 tonnes of propane gas turned turtle near Umberwadi, 110 km from Mumbai near Kasara. More than 20,000 trucks, tankers, buses and other heavy vehicles got stranded as police and fire brigade personnel sealed off the highway. Reason for the caution was that the overturned tanker, belonging to Vikram Ispat Company, was leaking its inflammable content. Had there been an explosion, an area of almost 5km radius around the site would have been singed.

The mishap happened around noon on Thursday. A Maruti van, speeding down the wrong lane, almost collided head-on with the tanker (AS-04 A4716). The van driver veered off at the last moment, and the tanker driver too yanked hard to his left. The heavily-laden vehicle went into a sharp spin and turned turtle.

Tanker driver Abdul Kalam Khan and his helper sustained only minor injuries, but the container was badly damaged and started belching the inflammable gas. Khan immediately reported the accident to senior officials of his organisation, who in turn alerted police and other government agencies, urging them to take precautionary measures to avoid a major hazard.

The highway was sealed off by 2:30 pm. Cars and other light vehicles took detours through Wada and Malshej Ghat Road, but heavy vehicles were stranded as the roads there were very narrow.

Thousands of people, travelling by buses from Shirdi, Nasik and other nearby areas, were rendered helpless. “I had been to Shirdi. Around 4:30 pm, our bus reached Umberwadi and we were told that there had been an accident. But we were assured that very soon the tanker would the removed and we would be able to proceed to Mumbai. In reality, the wait went up to 15 hours”, said HK Chanana a retired Rajya Sabha joint secretary, and a resident of Delhi.

“We have been stranded since 7 pm on Thursday. No one is telling us how much longer we will have to endure this misery”, said Dinesh Goel, a resident of Mira Road, who was returning from Nasik after a business meeting. The tanker had not been removed till Friday evening as the gas was coming out very slowly out of it and Fire Brigade officials were taking every precaution to ensure that there was no accident.