Police on Tuesday produced the truck driver and his assistant before a court which released them on bail. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)
Pune pile-up fallout: 35 illegal structures along Navale bridge service roads razed
At least 35 illegal constructions have been demolished on service roads along the Navale bridge on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune where a truck had hit several vehicles and caused a pile-up, news agency PTI reported.
The accident, which took place late Sunday evening, prompted authorities to take short-term measures which include the removal of encroached structures in the area. At least 24 vehicles were damaged when the truck hit multiple vehicles on the downward slope of the Navale bridge on the highway in Maharashtra’s Pune district, injuring more than 20 people, eight of whom were hospitalised, an official had said.
The two neighbouring accident-prone ‘black spots’ in the Navale Bridge area reported 31 deaths from 108 accidents over the past five years, with the present year reporting a sharp drop in mishaps and fatalities due to various measures put in place, data shared by the Pune police showed.
According to the norms laid down by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Indian Road Congress, a stretch of 500 metres on which five or more accidents with fatalities or grievous injuries have taken place in three years is referred to as a ‘black spot’.