Restoration work underway after debris and boulders partially cover a portion of the Pune to Mumbai carriageway of the Khopoli-Kusgaon ‘Missing Link’ near the exit of Tunnel 2 following landslide amid heavy monsoon rains in Pune. (Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Traffic on the Pune–Mumbai corridor of the Missing Link resumed after remaining disrupted for more than 18 hours, bringing relief to thousands of commuters stranded or affected by the prolonged closure. Debris from the landslide on the Missing Link of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at the exit on Tunnel 2 has been cleared, MSRDC officials said. The Old Pune-Mumbai Highway (NH-48) was also shut after a falling tree damaged a power line, while heavy waterlogging was reported at several low-lying stretches.
The Mumbai-to-Pune carriageway, reopened in phases from 10 am, remained affected by water flowing onto the road. The ghat section of the expressway has also been reopened and is being used to divert vehicles travelling towards Mumbai, though traffic there remains slow due to waterlogging. The Old Pune-Mumbai Highway reopened in phases from 11 am, but movement is yet to return to normal amid incessant rainfall.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister urged citizens to be on alert and avoid travel unless extremely necessary. All four bridges over the Indrayani river have also been submerged due to flooding, prompting Fadnavis to urge warkaris to avoid the route, reported Shubhangi Khapre for The Indian Express. The Maharashtra Assembly was adjourned for the day in the wake of extreme weather conditions, which have flooded the cities and triggered multiple landslides, building collapses, and road cave-ins.
Indrayani river overflows in Alandi on Monday. (Special Arrangement)
Pune’s Khadakwasla Dam was at 32% of its storage capacity as of 2 pm on Monday, but authorities said continued heavy rainfall and rising inflows could push the reservoir beyond 80% within the next 24 hours.
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