Shift Dahisar toll plaza, end people’s harassment: Road March writes to PM Modi, CM Uddhav Thackeray

A traffic jam seen between Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the toll naka at Dahisar. File pic

In an effort to fight the traffic jams at Dahisar toll plaza, the Road March initiative for encroachment-free roads has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and other public representatives for a solution. At any given hour of the day, one can find long lines of cars on either side of the toll naka, with people having to spend 20-30 minutes on a 200-metre stretch.

Lakhs of people from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Gujarat cross the toll naka. The letter has also been sent to the state's chief secretary, Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar's municipal commissioners and mayors, MMRDA and MSRDC, among others.

"This traffic jam causes air pollution as there is bound to be extremely high emission from hundreds of vehicles, including heavy vehicles...It also results in incessant honking causing noise pollution, directly impacting people's health," said activist Gopal Zhaveri, a member of Road March. The traffic also causes massive delays as ambulances and other emergency vehicles get stuck. "Doctors travelling in their vehicles have complained about delays at critical times on social media," said the letter, also pointing out how the high cost and usage of fuel must be pinching people.

The letter states that people have been told, for years, that the toll plaza would be shifted but have had no respite.

"Recently, people were assured that FastTag would solve the traffic jams but even that seems to have failed as it is not being properly implemented...there have been several cases where people were charged twice," said the letter, adding that the traffic is akin to harassment.

Road March has said that it would agitate or approach the court for a resolution and has demanded that the toll naka be shifted beyond Mira Road or Kashimira.

"We request authorities to visit the toll naka with the Road March team before April 14 to witness the daily suffering of people and discuss solutions," Zhaveri added.

200m
Distance from before till after the toll naka which vehicles spent 30 minutes crossing