MUMBAI, Sept. 11 -- A major accident was narrowly avoided on Wednesday morning near Daulatabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, when at least three vehicles suffered tyre punctures after aluminium nozzles pasted by a contractor damaged the surface of the Mumbai-Nagpur Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Expressway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The nozzles had been affixed on the expressway for several days as part of ongoing maintenance work. A video, reportedly recorded on Tuesday night and widely circulated on Wednesday morning, showed motorists drawing attention to safety concerns and blocking the expressway. The footage revealed multiple rows of aluminium nozzles, intended as reflectors to prevent vehicles from entering lanes under maintenance. In a statement, Sangita Jaiswal, chief engineer (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), confirmed that at least three vehicles suffered punctured tyres during the early hours of Wednesday due to nail-like objects. The MSRDC held the contractor responsible for implementing inadequate safety measures. "Minor cracks were detected over a 15-metre stretch on the first two lanes of the Mumbai-bound high-speed carriageway. Aluminium nozzles were glued onto the surface for 'epoxy grouting' as part of the preventive maintenance work. Although traffic was being diverted, some vehicles entered the work area, resulting in tyre punctures," the statement said. Following the accidents, a highway police patrol vehicle reached the site. "The nozzles were removed around 5 am, and traffic has since returned to normal," the MSRDC added. The contractor will face penalties for failing to ensure adequate safety protocols. One of the circulating videos showed transporter Santosh Sanap, driving from Jalna to Panvel, stating that all four tyres of his vehicle went flat and he had to wait an hour for police assistance. "There were families stranded who had to stop driving further. The Mumbai-bound carriageway became jammed," he said. According to a 2022 Maharashtra government notification, vehicles with up to eight passenger seats can drive at a maximum speed of 120 kmph on flat terrain and 100 kmph in hilly areas....