Stuck for 8 hours in traffic, Industrialist takes helicopter amid Mumbai–Pune Expressway jam; video goes viral

Stuck for 8 hours in traffic, Industrialist takes helicopter amid Mumbai–Pune Expressway jam; video goes viral

Chairman of EKA Mobility and Pinnacle Industries, Dr Sudhir Mehta with Nitin Welde. Photograph: (X/@sudhirmehtapune)

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Dr Sudhir Mehta went viral after he shared aerial footage of the miles-long traffic jam on social media, where he urged urgent infrastructure improvements, emphasising the strategic placement of emergency exits.

Chairman of EKA Mobility and Pinnacle Industries, Dr Sudhir Mehta, has gone viral after he took a helicopter to reach Pune after being stuck for eight hours in a massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The industrialist's move came after several travellers were stranded following a gas tanker accident.

Dr Sudhir Mehta went viral after he shared aerial footage of the miles-long traffic jam on social media, where he urged urgent infrastructure improvements. He emphasised the strategic placement of emergency exits and helipads along the high-speed corridor to manage potential crises.

“Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for ‘one gas tanker'. For such emergencies we need to plan exits at different points on the expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return,” Mehta said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

“Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lacs to make and require less than one acre of open area. These need to be mandatory at various points near the expressway for emergency evacuation," he added.

Mehta also thanked Nitin Welde, an Air Veteran and Consultant for Helicopters in Civil Aviation, for assisting in getting back to Pune after being stuck for eight hours.

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Netizens react to the viral post

One of the users said,"Why do we need helipad? Cannt they land on highway just like how it happens in dubai? Especially on newly constructed highways."

The next said, "What we need is people to be held accountable for such a mess. Civic authority should be equipped/prepared and ready for all eventualities."

"Instead of that authority must stop movement of vehicles immediately on the expressway to avoid piling of further problems. There are plenty of means to inform commuters in advance. This doesn't require even heavy IT infrastructure. No idea when country will reach that stage?" another said.

The next also said, "To use luxury train like Vande Bharat which covers the distance in sub 2 hours however, using train would dent your social standing & reputation so it's good to be amid traffic rather moving on the track... Fastest, Safest & needless to add economical too."

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Vinay Prasad Sharma is a Delhi-based journalist with over three years of newsroom experience, currently working as a Sub-Editor at WION. He specialises in crafting SEO-driven natio...Read More