High on Speed

SOME weeks ago, friends and family members of Bhakti Barve-Inamdar, the doyenne of the Marathi stage most familiar to Hindi film audiences for her role in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, gathered near Panvel, about 45 km from Mumbai, for a sentimental tribute to the late actress. But in the remembrance of the dead, the living was foremost on their minds.

Barve died on the Pune-Mumbai expressway 8212; the country8217;s first, the erstwhile BJP-Shiv Sena government8217;s pride 8212; one of the 65 people killed in the 307 accidents on the 92-km stretch in 2001. Her friends and family had only one prayer as they met there: No more deaths.

For though the expressway is world-class, the intrinsic indiscipline of Indian road-users, irresponsible maintenance work and stray animals reduce the engineering marvel to a superficial attempt at sophistication. Consider this: Though the expressway is exclusively for four-wheelers, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation8217;s failure to build the necessary overbridges and subways leaves pedestrians no options but to walk across the six lanes. Cattle, too, stray on to the expressway since there is no fence to keep them out. Cyclists and bikers, too, are familiar on the 8216;express8217; way.

So, at one level, though the superhighway has made life much easier for the 10,000-odd vehicles that travel between Mumbai and Pune everyday, at another, it has multiplied the risks. Even if drivers keep their eyes peeled for strays, they may be caught short by the water tanker that moves lazily along the divider, watering the plants. If it8217;s strays you watch out for, it could be a foolhardy villager who catches you unawares.

The dangers are manifold and unexpected, to say the least. Says Anand Joshi, a noted civil engineering consultant who uses the expressway frequently, 8216;8216;It was around 10.30 pm and I was travelling at 80 kmph the maximum permitted speed on the expressway, when I came across an apparently dead animal in the middle lane. I swerved to the right to avoid it, when it suddenly stood up and hit the rear side of my Qualis.8217;8217; His vehicle turned turtle and his 10 passengers had a narrow escape.

But the trauma was not over yet. Trying to get police help was a nightmare, as the Police Aid Post was deserted. It was some passers-by who finally came to his rescue.

But he was still luckier than Smita Waghle not her real name, who was travelling with her mother and sister when their vehicle met with an accident. 8216;8216;It was past midnight and my mother was bleeding profusely, she needed immediate medical attention. As we watched helplessly, villagers made off with our luggage. It was thanks to another commuter that an ambulance was summoned, though my mother did not survive.8217;8217;

Contrast these realities with the MSRDC8217;s promises: 8216;8216;Ambulances, fire-fighting vehicles and cranes every two km8230; for emergencies, compound walls or fencing on both sides of the expressway, subways for villagers every 300 m8217;8217;. Not only are most of these confined to paper, neither the highway police nor the licensing authorities has made any effort to educate the public about the road.

Neither is there a special taskforce for the expressway; the highway police 8212; read six officers and 60 policemen with two jeeps and 20 motorcycles 8212; are simultaneously in charge of NH 4 and the expressway.

Chandmal Parmar, member-NGO of the NHAI, however, one believes one contributory factor to the road8217;s risk-rate are vehicle tyres. 8216;8216;No Indian tyre is equipped for high speeds on concrete roads, which create more friction than other kinds of surfaces, especially during the day. That is why tyres burst,8217;8217; he says. Ever since the expressway opened, at least 30 accidents have been attributed to tyre-burstings.

And then, of course, there are those coolwheelers looking for an opportunity to show off their fancy vehicles on long drives. Post-partytime, it8217;s now the done thing to zip down to Lonavla for a coffee at a five-star. Add alcohol to high spirits, high speeds8230; does anyone spot a red sign somewhere?