Pune: A key stretch of the Kalyan-Ahilyanagar highway through Malshej Ghat has been sealed off to all traffic after a portion of the road gave way near Karanjale village, triggering hours-long jams that left thousands of weekend travellers stuck on alternate routes.
The collapse hit National Highway 61 between kilometre markers 99/500 and 99/600, close to Karanjale in Junnar taluka, around 105 km from Pune. Officials from the Highway Safety Patrol said continuous monsoon rain had already been eating away at the road's foundation, and matters were made worse by excavation and land-levelling work on adjoining private agricultural land, which further undermined the stretch. When the concrete surface finally subsided, authorities moved quickly to barricade the damaged section and halt vehicle movement in both directions.
Over 2,000 commuters were left stranded overnight in long queues that stretched for kilometres, many of them weekend travellers heading back from the ghat's waterfalls and viewpoints.
Police have since barred all vehicles from using the Alephata-Khubi Phata stretch and are directing traffic onto longer detours. Commuters heading toward Mumbai and Kalyan are being routed via Alephata-Rajgurunagar-Chakan-Talegaon MIDC-Lonavala, or alternatively via Alephata-Sangamner-Nashik-Kasara-Kalyan. Both options add significant travel time compared to the ghat route, and with rain continuing across the region, the diversions have themselves seen slow-moving, congested traffic.
No date has been set for reopening the highway. Inspection teams have been sent to assess the extent of the damage and draw up a repair plan, but officials say the road will stay closed until safety checks are complete. The two-lane concrete stretch through this section had only been upgraded in 2023.
Adding to the disruption, Dive Ghat another route connecting Pune to nearby districts was also closed around the same time after heavy rain rendered it unsafe for vehicles, squeezing traffic onto an already stretched road network in the region.
Authorities have appealed to commuters and tourists to avoid attempting the Malshej Ghat route altogether and to plan journeys in advance using the designated detours. With the India Meteorological Department forecasting continued rain over Maharashtra's ghat sections in the days ahead, officials are warning that further disruptions on hill routes cannot be ruled out.