Traffic on a 24‑kilometre stretch of the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district was diverted late on Saturday after a gas leak was reported from a GAIL pipeline near Takliwadi in Gangapur taluka, officials said. The leak was detected at around 5 p.m., prompting the district administration to take immediate precautionary measures.
The diversion covers chainage 447 to 470, the segment between Hadas Pimpalgaon and Maliwada. Vehicles traveling toward Mumbai are instructed to exit at the Hadas Pimpalgaon interchange, use the Dhule‑Solapur highway and re‑enter the expressway at Maliwada. Vehicles heading toward Nagpur must exit at the Maliwada interchange, follow the same highway and re‑join the expressway at Hadas Pimpalgaon.
GAIL experts shut the valves on both sides of the affected pipeline section, allowing the pressure inside the line to fall gradually. Fire‑fighting equipment was also positioned at the site as a precaution, and senior district officials together with police continue to monitor the situation.
District collector Vinay Gowda G C said that efforts are underway to restore normal traffic at the earliest.
