PM Modi's visit to city leads to jams on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

Pic/Hanif Patel

A major traffic backlog was observed on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Saturday morning, with both lanes heavily congested between Versova Bridge and the new Fountain Hotel on NH-48. Activists criticised the authorities for failing to implement effective measures to ensure smooth traffic flow ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mumbai and Thane.

Sources in the traffic police of Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police told mid-day that the heavy vehicles coming from Gujarat were not diverted by the concerned authorities in Palghar district, leading to complete choke on both the arms.

Activist Sushant Patil said all vehicles - heavy and light - were stopped by the traffic police at Fountain Junction. "No vehicles are allowed to go to Thane on the Ghodbundar Road. There were a few ambulances and school buses stuck, too," Patil told mid-day. "The Palghar Collector should have stopped heavy vehicles at Talasari or Manor, but no such initiative was taken by him, because of which commuters are facing major inconvenience on NH-48," Patil added.

"The traffic officials of MBVV Police were not allowing small vehicles coming from Gujarat to go to Thane via Fountain junction. This traffic chaos is just because of improper decisions taken by Palghar collector and MBVV police," said Patil, who is planning to write a letter to PMO requesting to take action. Palghar Collector Govind Bodake said, "We had issued a traffic notification to divert the route of the heavy vehicles ahead of PM visit. I am not sure if it was executed by the Palghar police or not."

The Superintendent of Police, Palghar, Balasaheb Patil said, "We had received a clear notification that most of the heavy vehicles coming from Gujarat should be diverted from Manor to Vikramgarh to Wada, and then Nashik Road. The diversions were made but this one is a small stretch, unlike Chinchoti-Bhiwandi road which is wider for heavy vehicles."

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), MBVV Police, Suhas Bavche, said the notification was issued ahead of PM visit. "At present, more than 100 traffic personnel have been deployed to regulate the traffic highway," he said.

100
Traffic cops have been posted to regulate the traffic on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway