After Traffic Snarls, Efforts Underway To Decongest Ghodbunder Road

04 January, 2019

Civic chief Sanjeev Jaiswal called a meeting of all the authorities concerned to find long and short term solutions to the traffic situation in the city

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Ever since the work on Metro 4 line started in Thane in July, the traffic situation along Ghodbunder Road has worsened. Commuters have been complaining that the travel time has doubled in the past few months.

On Thursday, civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal called a meeting of all the authorities concerned to find long and short term solutions to the traffic situation in the city.

“The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has installed barricades along the entire stretch even though work is not going on in some patches. They should free up space between two barricades for vehicles to stop for pick-ups and drops,” Jaiswal said.

He has asked MMRDA to remove barricades near Tatvadnyan signal and Patlipada.

He asked the Metro authorities to ensure that the barricade width is not more than 9 metre towards the footpath, so there is more space on roads.

Sanjeev Tatu, superintending engineer of MMRDA, Metro line 4, said, “We have already shifted the barricades towards the footpaths wherever possible, leaving the slip road. However when we get the machineries, we will need a bigger space. We will have to discuss with our team if the barricading can be done in patches.”

Besides Metro work, the laying of water and sewage lines along the service road has been adding to the traffic congestion.

Jaiswal said the roads would be dug only once for work on sewage and water lines so that commuters are not hassled.

“It is necessary that the service roads are kept open for commuters. I have asked the water and sewage department to coordinate and dig roads only once. If they are digging the left side of the service road, the right side should be kept open for commuters,” he said.

Amit Kale, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said, “We will start removing illegally parked vehicles from roads and have dumped them on an empty plot allotted by TMC. We have barricaded the crossings at several junctions to stop haphazard movement of the vehicles.”

Jaiswal said that utilities such as telephone, power supply and gas connections will have to give a proposal in two days if they want to lay cables. “If we do not get any proposal in two days, we will not permit them to dig,” he said.

Jaiswal said he would give around 150 traffic wardens to the short-staffed traffic department.

Tatu added, “We will also put up proper signages wherever necessary to ensure people are aware of the on-going work.”

Jaiswal said the TMC plans to start the work on the internal Metro in the next 10 months. “This Metro is intersecting with Metro line 4 at two places and the metro line 5 (Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan) at one place. It is important that we coordinate with MMRDA and sort both the projects,” he said.

Source : www.hindustantimes.com