Patil rushes to accident site; 175 fined for speeding

Home Minister R R Patil on Tuesday visited the site of the accident on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway on Monday morning that killed five persons. The spot was metres away from where a car crash December 23, had claimed the lives of Marathi actors Anand Abhyankar and Akshay Pendse, and Pendse's son Pratyush.

Patil held a discussion with state highway police officials and later told mediapersons that steps are being taken to increase the height of medians, a measure he had announced recently, as early as possible.

A Pune-bound car had crossed the median and rammed into a car in the opposite lane near Pavana police chowk, at the 74-km milestone on the Expressway around 8.30am Monday.

On Tuesday, the highway police and Pune rural police teams conducted a joint drive against vehicles crossing the speed limit on the expressway. Police teams fined about 175 vehicles for crossing the 80-kmph limit.

The action was taken at Urse toll-post in presence of SP, state highway police, Dilip Bhujbal and SP, Pune (rural) police Manoj Lohiya. Two inspectors and 25 constables were deployed for taking action against errant vehicles. Police used speed guns to identify vehicles that crossed the speed bar.

"Home Minister R R Patil visited the spot this afternoon and reviewed the situation," said Bhujbal. The police appealed drivers to maintain the speed limit on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.

On Monday evening, three including actor Bhalchandra Kadam were injured in another mishap on the Expressway after their car tyre burst.

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