Mumbai: After visiting Dahisar check post and issuing instructions last Friday to the toll plaza manager regarding traffic congestion, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik revisited the spot this week and found that the traffic mess in the area continued. He has now issued an ultimatum to officials and toll naka employees to reduce congestion by the weekend.
A source close to the minister said that Sarnaik also found that the suggestions given by him to introduce a few lanes for heavy vehicles, which are being imposed toll, and a free carriageway for other cars and SUVs were not being implemented. The minister, after visiting the spot, called for an impromptu meeting of officials and toll plaza staffers and directed them to implement all congestion control measures by Friday or Saturday, the source said.
Motorists have complained of long traffic jams at this bottleneck at Dahisar check post daily. “The toll has been removed, but the traffic snarls continue. If we are coming to the city from Mira Road Bhayander side, or leaving Mumbai (from Dahisar side), we have to wait for a long time to cross this check post,” said Uday Kulkarni, a motorist. “In the past, there used to be a toll due to which there were long queues for cars and SUVs. But now with the toll exemption for us, there should be a separate lane allowing us to pass through,” he demanded.
Sarnaik too suggested during his discussions with officials and toll staff last week that there should be three lanes towards Mumbai and two lanes in the opposite direction for toll collection from heavy vehicles. The remaining carriageway should be unobstructed for light vehicles, which will reduce traffic congestion on Western Express Highway, said the minister.
The main problem at the check post is the mix of private cars, SUVs along with trucks and buses, and there is no separate lane for heavy vehicles, said another motorist who stays at Mira Road. “The heavy vehicles such as cement mixer trucks or tankers wait in the queue before our cars and do not allow us to pass. This is frustrating,” he added.
In the recent civic budget, BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani proposed a transportation and commercial hub at Dahisar check naka, situated on Western Express Highway. The hub will be built on an 18,604 sq m plot and will accommodate approximately interstate buses and private cars. Additionally, it will feature a star hotel with accommodation facilities, recreational and retail spaces, banquet halls, as well as areas for app-based cabs and taxis. The objective is to restrict outstation buses at this terminal (at check naka) and encourage commuters to take cabs or autos to travel within the city.
