Mumbai: BEST to start shuttle services from Dadar stn to Siddhivinayak temple soon

The footfall at Siddhivinayak Temple usually surges during religious festivals and New Year. File pic

Devotees arriving at the Shri Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi will now have a seamless experience for darshan as all the stakeholders concerned have come together to tackle various issues that mid-day highlighted in its series of exposés. BEST has come forward to provide a major relief to religious visitors of the temple, starting a dedicated bus service between Dadar station and the temple with no stops en-route. Devotees who arrive at Dadar railway station will have to stand in queue for the BEST mini-buses which will have a five-minute frequency and cost R5 for each trip.

This bus service will be a major blow to the taxi drivers who fleece passengers by charging exorbitant amounts to ply from Dadar station to the temple. This has been happening right under the nose of Mumbai police and transport officials who seem to be incapable of eradicating the menace. Most of the taxi drivers did not agree to travel using the fare meter and would insist on being paid arbitrary made-up fares. However, now the BEST mini-bus services which were put on hold during the pandemic will be restarted, providing a major relief to devotees.

People at Siddhivinayak Temple on the occasion of Angarak Chaturthi. File pic/Ashish Raje

"We have decided to restart the BEST mini-bus services and a bus will be available every five minutes. The fare has been fixed at R5 per ticket for a one-way journey," Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ramakant Biradar said.

According to Biradar, encroachment on the roads leading to Siddhivinayak Temple will also be removed. "All the arterial roads leading to the temple will be beautified after relocating the flower vendors from C K Bole Marg to K Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg. Also, an anti-encroachment drive will be run before the beautification work is initiated," he said.

mid-day has previously highlighted how the flower vendors and a temple insider had been fleecing visitors in the name of ‘VVIP darshan' despite the presence of a dedicated police chowkie on the temple premises. Though an FIR has been registered against the accused, the Mumbai police have yet to make arrests. mid-day had also reported on the plight of devotees who were fleeced by taxi drivers in the absence of adequate bus services.

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A student and resident of Worli, Bhavesh Latam is pleased with the development. "Transportation is the biggest issue in Dadar where a sea of crowd arrives every hour. The taxi drivers loot people. So, I always prefer walking from Dadar to Siddhivinayak Temple," he said, adding that the service will make commuting very convenient for people. Kandivli resident Varun Bhudeka visited Siddhivinayak temple on Wednesday with his family. "I travel with my elderly relatives in a car from Kandivli to Dadar. I have to struggle a lot in the heavy traffic, yet I bring them in our car because if I travel by train, the taxi drivers will loot us," Bhudeka said.

"If BEST is going to start their services between Dadar station and Siddhivinayak Temple, it will be convenient for people like us as we have to struggle a lot to negotiate through traffic from Kandivli to Dadar and then return," he added. Thane-based doctor Rahul Tulle, who often visits the temple with his family members, said, "I am forced to park my car around 2 km away from the temple premises. It will be good if a parking facility is created in the nearby area at least at a walking distance."

Rs 5
Price per ticket for one-way trip