Landslide Closes Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link Project Sparking Political Row

A landslide on Monday forced the closure of the Rs 6,695-crore 'Missing Link' project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra, just two months after its high-profile inauguration. The incident left some commuters trapped and triggered an intense political backlash from the Opposition over the safety and durability of the road.

Responding to the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the road was closed immediately after the landslide and that the administration was on alert. He assured that those trapped on the expressway would be brought out soon.

The landslide occurred just days after photographs showing potholes on the Missing Link went viral on social media. At the time, Fadnavis had defended the engineering techniques of the project, asserting that the first monsoon serves as a test of a road's durability. Monday's landslide, however, gave the Opposition fresh ammunition.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal criticized the government on social media, questioning if the closure of the multi-crore project would now be called a "monsoon trial." Sapkal alleged that the issue was not the rain, but inferior quality of work, corruption, and political patronage provided to contractors.

Congress leader Satej Patil accused the government of failing to plan despite an orange weather alert for rain. Patil stated that the lack of communication had caused traffic jams and accidents, calling it a failure of governance.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Vijay Wadettiwar also attacked the administration, calling it a "percentage" government that functions through commissions rather than proper planning.

Rohini Khadse, state women’s president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), added that the project's failure so soon after its pompous inauguration ceremony was a betrayal of the taxpayers' trust.