Pune: HighwaySafety Patrol (HSP) will register cases against drivers violating the ban on movement of heavy vehicles, such as trucks and containers, along the connecting link of Pune-Mumbai Expressway.The connecting link of Mumbai-Pune Expressway was opened to vehicular traffic on May 1 this year. Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) previously issued orders banning trucks, containers, and other heavy vehicles from using the link. However, private luxury buses and standard passenger buses are still permitted to ply on the connecting link.Superintendent of police, HSP (Pune), Shivaji Pawar, told TOI, “The drivers of trucks, container trucks, and other heavy vehicles are unaware of the orders banning their movement on the connecting link. We have, therefore, requested MSRDC officials to install multilingual signboards on the expressway before the approach to the connecting link, clearly mentioning the ban on heavy vehicles and providing appropriate directions.”“We want MSRDC to prepare signboards in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada so that drivers from these southern states can understand the orders banning heavy vehicles,” he said.The urgency follows a recent accident on Oct 6, when a truck crashed into a private luxury bus on the link, leaving five passengers seriously injured.“As of now, our personnel are stationed at the site and use LED batons to direct truck drivers toward the old section of the expressway instead of the connecting link,” Pawar said.“Moreover, we have decided to register cases against truck drivers who violate the ban and ply on the connecting link. We will deploy a team on the connecting link, and cases will be registered at the local police station,” he said.
