MSRDC bans stopping for selfies on new Mumbai–Pune Missing Link after safety concerns
- MSRDC and Maharashtra highway police warned drivers not to stop on the new Mumbai–Pune Missing Link for selfies, photos, or reels days after opening. - The 13.3-km bypass opened on May 1, is watched by 24x7 CCTV, and officials say violators can be fined or face criminal action. - That matters because the route was built to cut 20–30 minutes and bypass the old, congestion-prone ghat section.
The new rule is simple — don’t stop. Just days after Maharashtra opened the new Missing Link on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, officials had to tell motorists to stop treating it like a viewpoint. People were pulling over near the cable-stayed bridge and tunnel sections to take selfies, shoot reels, and click photos. MSRDC and the highway police have now warned that halting on the stretch is banned and punishable, because this is a high-speed corridor, not a scenic lay-by. (hindustantimes.com) ### What exactly changed? What changed is enforcement. The Missing Link opened on May 1, 2026, and within days authorities saw cars stopping on the new section for pictures. MSRDC then issued a public warning, and highway police began actio(hindustantimes.com)al consequences. (hindustantimes.com) ### Why are people stopping there? Because the road is engineered to look dramatic. The Missing Link includes tunnels, high viaducts, and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley, so for first-time users it feels less like a routine expressw(hindustantimes.com)lutely should not. (msn.com) ### Why is this such a big safety issue? Because expressways give you very little margin for dumb behavior. A vehicle stopped for a selfie becomes a sudden obstacle on a road built for fast, continuous movement. Add curves, tunnel approaches, distracted drivers, and touris(msn.com)traffic hazard turns into a mini roadside crowd. (devdiscourse.com) ### What is the Missing Link, anyway? It’s a 13.3-km bypass between Khopoli and Kusgaon on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. Basically, it lets vehicles skip the older ghat section around Lonavala-Khandala, which has long been a bottleneck and a trouble spot during heavy traffic. The new route is meant to shorten the trip by about 6 km and cut travel time by roughly 20 to 30 minutes. (msn.com) ### Why does that make enforcement more important? Because the whole point of the project is flow. This wasn’t built as a tourist stop — it was built to move a huge number of vehicles more safely and more quickly through one of(msn.com). (cnbctv18.com) ### How are authorities policing it? With surveillance first, then penalties. MSRDC says the stretch is under 24x7 CCTV watch, and motorists have been specifically told not to halt for selfies or photographs. Highway police are monitoring the section and can fine drivers for illegal stopping; some reports also mention possible criminal action if the conduct creates danger on the road. (mid-day.com) ### Is this just a one-off warning? Probably not. Turns out this is the predictable side effect of opening a flashy new infrastructure project. The road opened on May 1, and by May 3 and May 4 the warning-and-enforcement cycle was already underway. That suggests officials see this as an immediate operational problem, not a symbolic advisory they’ll forget next week. (theweek.in) ### Bottom line? The Missing Link was built to remove delay from the Mumbai–Pune drive. If motorists start using it as a selfie deck, they bring the old problem right back — just on a newer, faster, and potentially more dangerous stretch. (hindus([theweek.in)html))
