As Maharashtra plans 8-lane Expressway, experts say move not enough to reduce accidents

Even as the Maharashtra government on Monday promised to take a decision on converting the 6-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway into an 8-lane one, experts have questioned the government’s move, expressing doubts about whether the expansion will reduce the number of fatal accidents on the Expressway. In the last 20 years since its inauguration, over 2,000 people have died in mishaps on the Expressway.

On Monday, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar demanded in the state Assembly that the Expressway be converted into an 8-lane one. Pawar was raising his concerns about the increasing rate of accidents on the Expressway, where Shiv Sangram leader Vinayak Mete lost his life in an accident last week.