New Sea Routes To Connect Thane, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai

Being the financial capital of India, Mumbai is also infamous for congested roads and traffic-related woes. However, the situation might change if the Centre's plan to carve new sea routes takes shape. Earlier, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari proposed sea route connecting Thane with Navi Mumbai and Mumbai for carrying goods and commodities. Now, in addition to this, passenger ferry service will begin between the three junctions- Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane to decongest roads and provide faster commute. With this new plan, not only the trucks would no more enter city roads and highways, but also the people traveling from Thane to South Mumbai will be able to take 70-minute ferry ride that would end at Gateway of India, near Nariman Point. 

Here is all that make new sea routes a fine idea.

 The plan

The entire inland water transport system will be constructed in two phases and will be implemented by Thane Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Maritime Board and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust with funding from the government. The phase I of the sea route would be operational by December while the Detailed Project Report of phase II is still in processing. 

Phase I: The Phase 1 will connect areas such as Kalyan, Thane and Vasai through the Vasai creek. The are 11 planned stoppages in the route, including Vasai, Mira Bhayander, Ghodbunder Village, Nagla Bunder, Kolshet, Kalher, Parsik, Anjurdive, Dombivli and Kalyan.

Phase II: The Phase-II will include two routes — Thane to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The Thane-Mumbai route would have 10 stops, including, Thane, Kalwa, Vitawa, Mithbunder, Airoli, Vashi, Trombay, Elephanta, Ferry Warf, the Gateway of India while the Navi Mumbai route would be connecting Vashi, Nerul, Belapur, and Taloja. 

The sea route proposed for transferring goods would be between the Vasai-Virar creek and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT)  at Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai. This would also be complemented by using sea route for supplying the stock to the Island City through the Mazgaon Port.

For fulfilling this, two plans have been proposed. The first plan is to acquire 350 acres of salt-pan land near the Vasai-Virar creek to convert it into a depot for trucks to unload goods, which can be ferried to the JNPT via sea. Another plan is to decongest roads and highways by diverting ferry goods entering Mumbai from the JNPT via a sea route to Mazgaon. Goods can be unloaded and stored at warehouses at the Mumbai Port Trust and then supplied to various locations across the city.

Current situation

The peak hour congestion due to container trucks is unavoidable especially along Western and Eastern Express Highway that connects the suburban Mumbai with the South Mumbai areas and Mazgaon Port. Recently, the situation was so grim that Mumbai traffic police banned the entry of such trucks during peak hours to avoid traffic jams. Massive traffic snarls on the express highways have become a common sight ever since working on the Metro-7 (Dahisar to Andheri) project began earlier this year. Also, vehicular movement is often disrupted on the Pune-Mumbai expressway due to container trucks.

 How it will impact the Mumbaikars

This transport system will bring down the congestion on prime roads by 20 per cent and would result in 33 per cent savings per trip on the inland waterway compared to roadways. It will also cut down the pollution level by 42 per cent and would enhance tourism potential. Also, the container trucks that create 40 per cent of the total traffic jams and cause a lot of traffic and pollution on some of the key arterial roads of the suburban and main city, will be no more.