Mumbai-Pune 'Missing Link': Landslide shuts ₹7,000-cr project just 2 months after launch; Cong seeks independent audit

Vehicular movement on the Pune-to-Mumbai stretch of the Khopoli-Kusgaon ‘Missing Link’ was rerouted early on Monday after a landslide struck near the exit of Tunnel 2 following heavy rainfall, according to officials. The stretch was partially shut for some hours.

The 13-km, ₹6,695-crore Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, became operational about two months ago. It passes through the Sahyadri range and shortens the journey by around 6 km, reducing travel time by approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

Senior Congress spokesperson Anant Gadgil on Monday raised concerns over the safety of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link project and called for an independent audit of both its construction quality and the funds spent on it, as per PTI.

"The Maharashtra government must make the expenditure details public. There should be an audit of the project by an independent agency to ascertain whether there had been any financial irregularities," Gadgil mentioned.

According to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRDC), the diversion has been in effect since 4 AM as a precaution to safeguard commuters. The MSRDC stated that it is continuously assessing the situation along with the Highway Traffic Police and urged motorists to avoid using the route unless their travel is essential.

A motorist travelling from Sangli in western Maharashtra to Mumbai told PTI that they had been stranded near Lonavala since 4 AM after authorities diverted Mumbai-bound traffic from the Missing Link.

"As the Missing Link was closed for traffic, we came via Lonavala and are now stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Expressway in the section passing through Lonavala city," he stated.

What did Congress spokesperson say?

Gadgil, who is an architect, alleged that the concrete lining inside the tunnels built through the hilly terrain showed signs of defects. Referring to photographs that surfaced on social media amid heavy rainfall in the region, he claimed the images pointed to possible structural issues.

He further alleged that substandard or defective tunnel lining could give way during the monsoon as water seepage from the surrounding hills increases. Gadgil also claimed that, unlike in Europe, where newly constructed tunnels undergo 10 to 12 months of testing and rectification before being opened to the public, the Maharashtra government inaugurated the Missing Link project without carrying out adequate safety assessments.

The Congress leader also claimed that several taxi drivers who regularly ply the Mumbai-Pune route

have been avoiding the Missing Link due to safety concerns. He further questioned the alignment of the project, arguing that a route with more natural openings should have been chosen.

Maharashtra's new ‘connecting link’: Fadnavis during project inauguration

When the project was inaugurated on 1 May, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis hailed the Missing Link as the state's new “connecting link”. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation also presented the project as a long-term solution to traffic congestion and accidents along the ghat section.

At the time, MSRDC Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad said the project would make travel between Mumbai and Pune “quicker and more reliable” by removing one of the expressway's busiest bottlenecks.