Palghar: A car driver lost his life and five passengers were injured in a tragic accident on Monday along the yet-to-open Mumbai–Vadodara Expressway in Dahanu. The driver was reportedly ferrying local passengers towards Dahanu when the car toppled at Kohrali Pada near Ganjad (Dahanu). The impact of the accident was so severe that the driver was crushed under his own vehicle and died on the spot. The five injured passengers were rushed to hospital with varying degrees of injuries. Currently the Dahanu police are investigating this case after filing an accidental death report (ADR). The deceased has been identified as Bachu Babu Masmar, 42, resident of Kotbi Patilpada in Dahanu.Authorities confirmed that the stretch of the expressway where the accident occurred remains closed to the public, as it is still under construction. A local source has confirmed that since this expressway is passing through a few villages in Palghar district, several locals use this road in spite of being told not to. A senior official with the RKC Infrabuilt Pvt Ltd, the contractor who is constructing the Package 11 – Mumbai Vadodara Expressway said that stretch of the road is under construction and boards have been placed warning the same, however, locals still use the road. “We don’t allow the commercial vehicles to use this stretch but locals somehow manage to get access. Most of the time many manage to gain access by using entry points designated for contractors’ vehicles transporting construction material,” he said. Echoing similar sentiments a senior NHAI official said, “The contractor handling this stretch has displayed enough awareness placards about the road being closed for the general public, but still we have observed trespassing. There are several barricades also on the spot but still people find their way,” said a senior official with the NHAI.Meanwhile, a police source has confirmed that the police have called the senior officials of the contractor to Dahanu police chowky at Ashagad (which comes under Dahanu police station) to seek more details on the expressway.
