• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway Jam: A massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district left over 500 students and commuters stranded for nearly 12 hours, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Twelve buses carrying school students from Classes 5 to 10, as well as some college students from Mumbai and Thane, were stuck in a long tailback near Vasai from around 5:30 pm on Tuesday until early Wednesday morning. The students were returning from a school picnic near Virar and had to endure hours without food or water.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Vasai, Poornima Chowgule-Shringi, stated that the jam was still being cleared. The traffic had come to a near standstill on Tuesday evening, with vehicles moving at a snail's pace for hours.

By night, many students were exhausted, hungry and anxious, while worried parents waited tensely for updates on their children's safety.

Members of a local social organisation rushed to the site. They distributed water and biscuits to the stranded children and helped drivers manoeuvre buses through the congested lanes.

ALSO READ: Greater Noida Man Shows Off Dangerous Stunt In Baleno, Ends Up With Rs 57,500 Challan | VIDEO

"The students were crying due to hunger and exhaustion. It was heartbreaking to see them suffer because of the poor traffic management," an activist said.

The jam was apparently triggered by the diversion of heavy vehicles due to ongoing repair works on the Ghodbunder highway in Thane, which resulted in excessive traffic load on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, the activist said.

An official from the Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police control room said there was a massive traffic jam, which was being cleared.

"The congestion is slowly easing, but movement remains sluggish," the official said.

Some buses carrying the students managed to take a detour, while others inched forward slowly through the jam. The last of the stranded buses reached its destination by 6 am on Wednesday, sources said.

The parents of the stranded children and other locals blamed poor planning and lack of coordination among authorities for the situation.

ALSO READ: Remember The ‘Kacha Badam’ Craze? Here’s How Singer Bhuban Badyakar’s Life Changed After Viral Fame And Where He Lives Now

"Our children were left helpless for hours. There was no police, no information, no system in place," one of the parents claimed.

Residents demanded that the traffic department and civic authorities take immediate corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future, especially when repair work and diversions on roads are planned.

( With Inputs from PTI )

 

 

 

Also In News