Traffic curbs for New Year: No entry to heavy vehicles in ghats before noon

In order to avoid traffic congestion on Old Mumbai Pune Highway and Mumbai Pune Expressway, heavy vehicles are barred from entering the ghat area before noon on Sundays. Police personnel are also deployed to regulate traffic and ensure no rules are violated by bars and hotels during New Year celebrations. Raigad police will use drone cameras for surveillance and keep a check on vehicles and establishments for narcotics.

Navi Mumbai: In order to avoid traffic congestion on Old Mumbai Pune Highway and Mumbai Pune Expressway, the Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) has barred heavy vehicles from entering the ghat area before noon on Sunday. This rule will be followed till December 31. During Christmas this year, 55,868 vehicles passed through the expressway and 21,135 vehicles passed through the old Mumbai-Pune highway towards Pune. Every heavy vehicle was being stopped from entering the ghat which the traffic jam increased.

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“While ascending the ghat, several big vehicles had slowed down, this led to heavy traffic jam which could have been averted had they not entered the ghat at all,” said an HSP officer. Meanwhile, for the bandobast of the New Year, Navi Mumbai police commissionerate has deployed 2,500 police personnel, including three deputy commissioners, six assistant commissioners, 53 inspectors, 176 assistant inspectors and sub inspectors along with 1,700 staff.

The Navi Mumbai police has given instructions to ensure that no rules are violated by bars, hotels and other establishments. Also, the police have warned to take legal action against such establishments that violate the rules. On the eve of New Year, hotels, resorts and farm houses in Panvel and its surrounding areas are likely to be crowded. “Therefore, keeping in mind the possibility of traffic congestion on the highway, special precautions will be taken for traffic regulation. Traffic police personnel will be deployed at various places for traffic control. We should keep an eye on drunk driving drivers,” Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Tirupati Kakade said. “A special drunk and drive campaign will be implemented by the traffic police and the suspected drunk driver will first be examined through breath analysers and then medically examined. A cognizable offence will be filed against those found guilty,” Milind Bharambe, commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai, said.

Meanwhile, for the first time Raigad police would be conducting surveillance through drone cameras to keep an eye on traffic jams. “Lakhs of tourists will enter the district on December 31 at the coastal places of Alibaug, Mandwa, Kashid, Murud, Shrivardhan, Diveagar and farm houses of Khalapur and Karjat talukas. A special team has been formed at 28 police stations in Raigad district. Special attention will be paid with regular check-ins at hotels, dhabas, cottages, and farm houses in the area. Police teams have been appointed at important places to curb drunk driving with the help of 15 breath analysers. For the first time, drone cameras will be patrolling important places to solve the traffic jam problem. This camera has a sound system through which instructions will be given to the passengers to keep the traffic smooth,” said Raigad superintendent of police Somnath Gharge.

Raigad police will also be keeping a check on all the vehicles, farm houses, hotels, lodges, for narcotics by police in civil clothes. “Citizens too should keep a close eye if anything suspicious is noticed in their vicinity and call the control room,” Gharge added.