Pune: One of the busiest highways - the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is no alien to traffic jams. After months of lockdown, which led to an empty stretch, traffic makes a return. However, the snarls were not due to some accident or increase in vehicles increase plying on the road. The highway police are scrutinising the e-passes on the road, and many people are held travelling without a pass.
The Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway, better known as Mumbai-Pune Expressway is considered as India's first six-lane concrete, a high-speed way which stretches around 95 kilometres. The e-way is one of the best routes to connect the two metros. While Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra, Pune is known as the State's cultural capital.
The beauty of e-way is mesmerising during the monsoon as it is on hill station of Lonavla and Khandala the beauty is scenic as well as forts, dams but the Pune collector Naval Kishor Ram has already prohibited the tourist spots due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to pandemic, the movement of travelling on the e-way was prohibited and such routines from Mumbai to Pune lead roads to adjacent districts to Pune, Konkan and others.
To curb the spread of such virus, the inter-district travelling is banned, but on the emergency ground and other official works, the travel is permitted based on the prior permission given by the police and authority.
On Tuesday the traffic was witnessed jam on the e-way as the vehicles were checked, monitored and scrutinised by the Maharashtra State Highway Police.
Speaking to Sakal Times, Subhash Pujari assistant police inspector attached to Maharashtra State Highway said, "We are letting heavy vehicles move from other district based on the essential services goods as well as medical services are allowed. Now due to ease given in lockdown 5.0 citizens are travelling in their four vehicles to their destination. Still, prior permission, letter, as well as E-pass, is required."
He added, "Many people are not having such pass and travelling to e-way. We held them, few were arguing, but we asked them to go back from where they came from. We will let the vehicle move ahead from our point after having pass. The people are not aware of such e-pass process while few claimed that there was not required as per the unlock 1.0 norms. But it's an appeal to citizens if you plan to travel, please have such prior permission, documents and e-pass approved."