Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed the Thane Traffic Police to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles on Ghodbunder Road between midnight and 6 am until the ongoing service road merger works with the main carriageway are completed. He said the step was necessary to provide relief to citizens from traffic congestion.
The minister directed the traffic police to coordinate with their counterparts in Mira-Bhayander and Palghar and issue a formal notification at the earliest over the restriction. He further directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to strictly adhere to its schedule and ensure the pending service road merger work is completed between September 15 and December 31.
The directions were given when Sarnaik chaired a review meeting on Wednesday over various development works in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) area at the late Arvind Pendse Hall in the civic headquarters. The meeting was attended by TMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Additional Commissioners Sandeep Malvi and Prashant Rode, City Engineer Prashant Sonagra, Deputy District Collector Harishchandra Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pankaj Shirsat, and officials from MMRDA, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), and the civic body.
During the review, discussions on the Ghodbunder Road traffic congestion, a proposed third theatre, the MHADA and shopkeepers’ society project at Vartak Nagar, the naval project at Nagla Bunder, community halls, Lata Mangeshkar Sangeet Vidyalaya, Annabhau Sathe library, lake beautification, relocation of the Swami Samarth Math, and other works in the Owala-Majiwada area were made.
Sarnaik said that with proper coordination, the civic body has maintained good progress on projects, adding that several works could be inaugurated or launched by October 15 by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Dog rehabilitation centre proposed
Highlighting complaints about stray dogs in the city, Sarnaik directed the TMC Commissioner to earmark land near the old octroi posts on the outskirts of Thane for a dog rehabilitation centre. He said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) would be roped in for management of the centre.
Pod taxi project presentation
The meeting also saw a presentation on the proposed pod taxi project being considered as a futuristic mode of transport to complement metro and internal metro services in Thane. The project, to be implemented on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model, will cover 52 km with around 76 stations. The fare is expected to be Rs 30 per passenger.
Sarnaik said the project’s legal clearances, passenger safety measures and the company’s financial viability would be thoroughly examined before implementation. Rao asked the company representatives to complete all legal requirements quickly and submit a detailed project plan.
