BMC plans ₹1,481 crore Dahisar transport hub to ease traffic choke at Mumbai border

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde said the civic body wants to develop transport hubs at old octroi check posts, where motorists currently face heavy congestion and parking issues

Mumbai: In a bid to cut traffic congestion at Mumbai’s entry points, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is building a ₹1,481-crore transport and commercial hub at Dahisar octroi naka that will integrate interstate buses, BEST services and Metro connectivity. The project, expected to be ready in two years, is part of a larger plan to turn former octroi nakas into multimodal transit hubs.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 12, 2024: A view of the Dahisar Octroi Naka in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Speaking to the media last week, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde said the civic body wants to develop transport hubs at old octroi check posts, where motorists currently face heavy congestion and parking issues.

“Facilities will be developed so that vehicles entering and leaving Mumbai can avail of parking amenities. These transport hubs, spread across approximately six to ten acres, should be planned in a comprehensive manner. Work at the Dahisar check naka has already begun, while paperwork for the Vashi check naka has been completed and sent to the concerned department for further action,” Tawde said.

Located on the Western Express Highway, the Dahisar hub will come up on an 18,604 sq m plot with connectivity to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and the Pandurangwadi interchange station on Metro Lines 9 and 10.

The facility is expected to handle interstate buses coming from Gujarat, Rajasthan and northern states. Civic officials said the idea is to ensure long-distance buses terminate at Mumbai’s borders instead of entering the city, reducing traffic load on arterial roads.

The multimodal hub has been designed to accommodate 353 interstate buses and 1,306 vehicles. It will also include dedicated spaces for app-based cabs and taxis to improve last-mile connectivity, while being envisioned as a multi-purpose urban destination.

Following the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, octroi was abolished, leaving several octroi naka land parcels vacant.Mumbai has five such former nakas: two in Mulund and one each in Mankhurd, Dahisar and Airoli, spread across 43 acres.

To monetise these parcels, the civic body proposed converting the Dahisar and Mankhurd sites into transportation and commercial hubs. So far, tenders have been floated only for the Dahisar project.

According to civic officials, traffic surveys were conducted at all five former toll nakas to assess the daily movement of buses entering and leaving the city. To optimise the use of the land parcel, the civic body also proposes to incorporate commercial and office spaces within the hub to generate revenue and to ensure the project’s long-term viability.

While tenders have so far been floated only for the Dahisar project, the civic body is also exploring redevelopment of other former octroi nakas through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.