Mumbai, Jan 19 (IANS): Renowned social worker Sindhutai Sapkal on Thursday served an eight-day ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to make travel on the accident-prone Mumbai-Pune Expressway safer, failing which she would launch an agitation.

"How many more lives must be lost? This killer expressway has already claimed thousands of lives, including celebrities, but the authorities are simply not concerned," an agitated Sapkal told media persons.

The 69-year-old social worker's anger stemmed from witnessing what could have been a major road accident near Ursi, Talegaon section, on the expressway late Wednesday night.

Though the disaster was barely averted, a shaken Sapkal who was travelling from Mumbai to Pune, stepped out of her vehicle and gave a dressing down to the IRB agency staffers manning the toll tax booths there.

"The government is collecting toll from us, yet there is no guarantee of safety of the passengers on the expressway... How many more people should be killed before you do something?" an irate Sapkal demanded.

She announced that if the government failed to take remedial action in the matter "within eight days", she would lead an agitation with thousands of people on the expressway.