Palghar, Maharashtra: A 16-month-old boy lost his life on Thursday after the ambulance carrying him to a Mumbai hospital was trapped in a prolonged traffic jam on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway in Palghar district. The toddler had been staying at his grandmother’s home, when he accidentally fell from a fourth-floor balcony while playing. He sustained serious abdominal injuries in the fall and was rushed on a motorbike to a private hospital in Naigaon, where doctors managed to stabilise him briefly before advising an urgent transfer to a specialised hospital in Mumbai. His family arranged for an ambulance — but the vehicle became stranded in gridlock on the highway due to repair work on the Thane–Ghodbunder Road, which had forced closure of a key stretch from 6 am to 9 pm.
Unable to move further, the ambulance diverted to a hospital in Sasoon Navghar, between Thane and Vasai, where doctors declared the toddler dead on arrival. Hospital officials later confirmed that he had passed away before admission.
Previous Fatal Traffic Case
This is not the first time tragedy has struck. On July 31, a 49-year-old woman from Palghar, Chhaya Purav, died after being stuck in a traffic jam on NH-48 while being rushed to Mumbai for treatment. She was injured when a tree branch fell on her near her home. With no trauma centre in Palghar, she was referred to Hinduja Hospital, but the ambulance was trapped in traffic for hours. As her condition worsened, she was rushed to Mira Road’s Orbit Hospital, where she was declared dead.
These heartbreaking incidents underline the cost of traffic chaos that has gripped Thane’s arterial roads in recent weeks.
New Measures Announced
The Thane Traffic Police had imposed a blanket restriction on heavy vehicles — including container trucks and tankers — from entering city limits between 12 am to 6 am to ease traffic pressure on Ghodbunder Road. However, instead of relieving congestion, the move diverted a massive load of trucks onto the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, leading to gridlock stretching over 15 km. Smaller vehicles and buses were also trapped for hours.
Now, from September 20 to October 2, heavy vehicles will be prohibited in two slots — 6 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 11 pm. The MBVV Commissionerate has also issued a corresponding notification restricting the entry of trucks with 10 wheels or more from both Gujarat and Mumbai sides into Thane, Bhiwandi, and Kalyan. Essential vehicles — ambulances, fire brigades, police vans, oxygen carriers — remain exempt.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Sandeep Rajaram Doifode, said the step was “urgently required to prevent traffic snarls and ensure commuters and emergency services are not trapped in avoidable jams.”
Diversion Points for Heavy Vehicles:
NH-48 (from Gujarat side): Entry banned at Khanivade Toll Plaza.
NH-48 (from Palghar–Virar side): Entry banned at Shirsat Phata.
NH-48 (from Palghar–Vasai side): Entry banned at Chinchoti Naka.
Western Express Highway (from Mumbai/Kashimira side towards Ghodbunder, Thane): Entry banned near Fountain Hotel.
The ban on roadside parking for heavy vehicles on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway has also been enforced.
Political and Industrial Backlash
The decision has ignited political heat, with critics accusing the officials of knee-jerk planning that has left ordinary citizens bearing the brunt. Industrial operators and logistics companies fear supply chain disruptions, while commuters continue to battle long traffic snarls.
