Overview
- A newly concretised two-lane stretch of NH-61 near Karanjale village sank by about 50–100 metres after the subgrade gave way, prompting authorities to close the Malshej Ghat section to all vehicles until further notice.
- National Highways officials blamed weakening of a gabion retaining wall, which they say was undermined by hill‑cutting and land levelling on adjacent private land and by heavy rain that washed soil from beneath the pavement.
- Traffic police and the National Highways Sub‑Division have ordered heavy vehicles to be stopped and rerouted, with motorists diverted via longer Alephata–Rajgurunagar–Chakan–Talegaon–Lonavala or Alephata–Sangamner–Nashik–Kasara–Kalyan corridors.
- The closure has disrupted tourist travel and freight flows on a key link between western Maharashtra and the Mumbai region, and engineers say stabilisation and repairs will begin only after rainfall eases.
- The subsidence occurred alongside other monsoon damage in the region, including the closure of Dive Ghat and a landslide shut at Kelghar Ghat, and local rescue teams recovered two drowning victims from the Kalu River.