The road mishap on Pune-Nashik Road, which claimed seven lives on Sunday, has once again highlighted the issue of unsafe travelling conditions on Pune-Nashik national highway number 50.

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According to experts, the narrowness of the road is the main cause of accidents and there is an urgent need to convert it into a four-lane road.

A tempo carrying 35 pilgrims  turned turtle near Pimpelwandi village near Narayangaon. Deputy superintendent of police (highway), Shashikant Mane said, “There is an ‘S’ shaped turning near Pimpelwandi. The driver might have lost control due to the sharp turns.”

He added, “The traffic on Pune-Nashik highway has increased a lot, but the road remains narrow. There is a need to widen the highway.”

According to experts, there are technical flaws in the highway, which need urgent attention. Chandmal Parmar, chairman of railway, road traffic management committee of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) said, “Earlier, there was less traffic on that road. Therefore a two-lane road was adequate. The traffic has increased over the last 10 years. Now the government must review the highway and rectify the faults.”

Parmar said, “The Pimpelwandi village where the accident took place, is an accident-prone area. There is a bridge near the village, which is narrow and on both sides there are sharp turns due to which accidents take place there.”

After crossing Narayangaon, vehicles ply without any obstacles, due to which the drivers tend to accelerate, often resulting in accidents.

A ghat section near Bota village has stiff turnings and are dangerous. The road near Avsari village is in a poor condition. The stretch at Manchar and Narayangaon goes through the villages. There are many local vehicles, which lead to traffic congestion.