MSRDC, BPCL plan long-term solutions to handle potential tanker gas leaks on Mumbai-Pune Expressway; immediate steps include enforcement of existing SOPs

Pune: In the aftermath of the Feb 3 incident reported near Adoshi Tunnel on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, in which a tanker carrying propylene gas overturned and resulted in a 32-hour traffic logjam along the route, multiple authorities have said they are now working on long-term measures to handle such emergencies. Officials concerned also said strict enforcement of existing SOPs remains the only immediate step to prevent a recurrence.A senior official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on Monday told TOI they have directed all stakeholders to strictly enforce existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to deal with emergencies on the expressway.
For a long-term solution, a seven-member committee led by CP Joshi, former president of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC), has been constituted already, following instructions from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The committee is co-chaired by S Mohite, former joint commissioner of traffic and inspector general of police (IGP-Konkan region). It also includes two representatives from the transport department, a techno-legal expert, an official from MSRDC, and a member of an NGO."The committee will undertake a detailed study of the incident and recommend measures to deal with similar situations in the future. The objective is to enhance safety not only on the Mumbai-Pune expressway but also the Samruddhi Expressway. The panel is expected to submit its report within two months," an MSRDC official said.A senior official of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), the company that owns the tankers involved both in the Feb 3 incident and a similar one on Feb 23, told TOI that the company has also initiated its own corrective measures to prevent a repeat."Our drivers are trained well to operate vehicles carrying hazardous gases. They undergo trainings twice every quarter, which ensures that each driver attends at least one mandatory session per quarter," the official said, adding that driver awareness initiatives are also conducted once every week.According to state disaster management officials, the delay in deploying a recovery van to plug the leakage on Feb 3 was the primary reason it took authorities longer to bring the situation under control. The recovery van was stationed at the Kochi refinery at the time of the accident, posing a major logistical challenge.A senior official of BPCL said the company has also initiated corrective measures like making a ‘mutual aid facility' to coordinate between various agencies as a long-term solution, which could help prevent a recurrence of the Feb 3 incident. "We have decided to station quick response teams (QRTs) within a 200km radius along routes used for transporting hazardous gases. A similar system is already in place for LPG, and it will now be upgraded to handle gases such as propene and propylene," a senior BPCL official said, adding that a meeting is scheduled on Feb 26 to expedite these measures.At present, the QRTs are located at depots and refineries of BPCL and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), he said.Highway police officers said that they recently conducted a joint inspection drive with MSRDC and other stakeholders, during which a series of immediate, short-term measures were discussed.Among these proposals is increasing the number of median openings at intervals of 2-2.5km, particularly in the ghat section, in a bid to facilitate swift diversion of traffic in the event of an accident. A proposal to set up an emergency help centre in the ghat section was also discussed, a highway police officer said.