Mumbai Buzz: New bridge to cut travel time | Seat reservation on AC bus to airport

Weekly Mumbai news recap: New bridge over Mahim Causeway; petition on Powai Lake cycle track withdrawn; suburban railway traffic drops post-pandemic.

A new bridge to reduce travel time in Mumbai

A new bridge, to be built over Mahim Causeway, will run between Fishermen Colony in Mahim and the Western Express Highway (WEH).

It will pass from Dadar to Mahim via the Bandra end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link under the Coastal Road project. The bridge will have two arms, 512 metres and 319 metres. Currently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated tenders for engineering, procurement and construction of the bridge. The last date for bidding is September 20th.

Source: The Indian Express

Fall in suburban train traffic since pandemic

The Central and Western Railways of suburban Mumbai have recorded falls in ridership despite the lifting of COVID restrictions. From 45 lakh pre-pandemic, the Central Railway’s daily average ridership has come down.

According to the railways, new modes of work work-from-home options and hybrid working conditions – are to be blamed. 

Currently, the Western Railway runs 1,375 services, up from 1,367 before the pandemic. Additional services were added in November and December 2021. 

Source: The Indian Express

Men standing in a Mumbai local train.
Work-from-home options have reduced the need to travel for many. Pic- Nestor Lacle, Flickr, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Glue traps menace for wildlife in the city

Two decades ago, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) issued prohibitory orders about glue traps used in the city. Commonly available devices to catch and kill rodents, they continue turning into a menace for wildlife in and around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), experts say. 

The Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), a registered charitable trust that carries out wildlife rescues and collaborates with the forest department for the same, received at least 200 distress calls over in last two-and-a-half years. It has rescued various protected species that have gotten caught in these traps.

Source: Hindustan Times

Petition on Powai Lake cycle track withdrawn

The BMC has withdrawn a special leave petition (SLP) filed on August 8th before the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the Bombay High Court’s May 6th order. The High Court had ruled that the proposed cycle track around Powai Lake was illegal. 

Stating that the order was based “on erroneous grounds and without proper appreciation of the facts,” the civic body’s petition stated that the project will lead to the creation of valuable public space in the city’s eastern suburbs.

However, Stalin D, director at Vanashakti, argued that withdrawing the SLP was not enough. “The HC had clearly instructed BMC to restore the lake’s boundary to its original condition as construction of the cycle track had already been carried out. Vanashakti will file execution proceedings in NGT and also contempt in HC if the restoration is not done within four weeks,” he told Hindustan Times.

Source: Hindustan Times


Read more: Is concretisation killing trees in Mumbai?


You can now reserve a seat on Mumbai airport BEST AC buses

A new app will allow travellers to book a seat on Mumbai airport BEST AC buses seven days in advance. Called BEST Chalo App, seats will be allocated on first come, first get basis.

The buses start from Terminal 2 or the international airport to different parts of the city. All electric, buses run 24×7, every one hour. 

How to reserve the seat on BEST Chalo app:

  • Download the BEST Chalo app and search for routes 881, 882 or 884. 
  • Tap on the ‘Reserve’ option. 
  • Select the pickup and drop point 
  • Select the time slot and make an online payment 
  • You can then live track the bus and upon boarding, tap your phone on the conductor’s machine to validate your booking. 

Source: The Times of India

(Compiled by Saachi D’Souza)

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