The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has defended the Mumbai-Pune Expressway's 'Missing Link' project, attributing the recent landslide to unprecedented monsoon conditions. Anilkumar Gaikwad, MSRDC Vice Chairman, emphasized that the incident was an "act of God," stating that the boulders that fell onto the tunnel's entrance originated from nearly 150 meters above the protected portion of the slope. He highlighted that the tunnel's structural integrity remained unaffected, and the damage was limited to the false frame, an external structure built at the edges of tunnels.
Gaikwad further explained that the slope above the tunnel had been stabilized using rock bolts, steel mesh, and other rockfall protection measures, which were intact. He suggested that the intensity of the rainfall was beyond what engineering solutions could mitigate, stating, "When rainfall is this intense, there is only so much engineering can do."
MSRDC's stance underscores the challenges of infrastructure development in monsoon-prone regions and the limitations of engineering solutions when faced with extreme weather events.