MSRDC to refund Rs 5.16 cr toll after 33-hour Mumbai–Pune Expressway gridlock

In a major relief measure for more than one lakh motorists caught in a 33-hour traffic standstill on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced a full refund of toll charges amounting to Rs 5.16 crore.

The prolonged congestion was triggered on the evening of 3 February after a gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi Tunnel in the Khandala Ghat section, close to Khopoli. The incident led to the closure of one carriageway and severe restrictions on the other, bringing traffic to a complete halt. By the following evening, vehicle queues had stretched for nearly 20 kilometres.

Thousands of commuters were left stranded on the expressway for hours without adequate access to drinking water, food or sanitation facilities. Women, children and elderly passengers were among the worst affected during the ordeal.

Although authorities ordered the immediate suspension of toll collection once the scale of the disruption became clear, officials later acknowledged that charges had already been deducted from several motorists’ FASTag accounts before the halt could be fully enforced at toll plazas.

A senior MSRDC official said the corporation had decided to refund all tolls collected after the suspension order was issued. The total refund of Rs 5.16 crore will be credited directly to the FASTag accounts of affected vehicle owners in the coming days. The reimbursement will apply to tolls collected on both carriageways of the expressway.

The MSRDC has instructed the toll operator, IRB MPEPL, to submit detailed transaction records for verification. Officials said some payments may have been processed automatically before toll barriers were fully opened, despite instructions to stop collections. All such transactions are being reviewed and will be reimbursed.

The accident prompted a large-scale emergency response involving teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force and Bharat Petroleum. As a precaution, the Pune-bound carriageway was shut and traffic was diverted to the old Mumbai-Pune Highway. At certain points, vehicles were allowed to move in controlled batches of 15 to 20 minutes in an effort to ease the congestion.

Throughout the crisis, MSRDC and the expressway operator issued advisories via FM radio and social media, urging motorists to avoid non-essential travel. Relief teams from IRB MPEPL and the Pune Rural Police distributed water and biscuits to stranded passengers where possible.

The incident drew sharp criticism online, with many commuters describing the vital transport corridor as resembling a “parking lot” during the extended gridlock.

With agency inputs