GAIL Gas Leak Forces Traffic Diversion on Maharashtra’s Samruddhi Expressway

A gas leak from a GAIL pipeline near the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district prompted authorities to divert traffic along a 24-km stretch of the highway as a precautionary measure.

The leak was reported at around 5 pm on Saturday near Takliwadi in Gangapur taluka, located alongside the expressway. Following the incident, the district administration alerted officials from GAIL and initiated precautionary measures to ensure the safety of motorists and nearby residents.

Fire-fighting equipment was deployed at the site as a precaution while technical teams assessed the affected pipeline. GAIL experts subsequently shut the valves on both sides of the damaged section, allowing the pressure inside the pipeline to gradually decline.

According to District Collector Vinay Gowda G C, traffic movement between chainage 447 and 470, covering the stretch from Hadas Pimpalgaon to Maliwada, was diverted from the Samruddhi Expressway to the Dhule-Solapur highway.

Vehicles travelling towards Mumbai were instructed to leave the expressway at the Hadas Pimpalgaon interchange, use the Dhule-Solapur highway and re-enter the Samruddhi Expressway at Maliwada.

Similarly, vehicles heading towards Nagpur were directed to exit at the Maliwada interchange, take the Dhule-Solapur highway and re-enter the expressway at Hadas Pimpalgaon.

The district administration and police continued to monitor the situation. Officials said efforts were underway to restore normal traffic movement at the earliest, while safety measures remained in place around the affected pipeline section.