Monday morning blues on Mumbai’s western and eastern express highways

Traffic jams were reported on both western (WEH) and eastern express highways (EEH) and other areas in the suburbs on Monday morning. This came after chief minister

Traffic jams were reported on both western (WEH) and eastern express highways (EEH) and other areas in the suburbs on Monday morning. This came after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had announced on Sunday night that restrictions would be relaxed only in zones designated as orange and green in Maharashtra, to allow industries to operate. Lockdown conditions remain in effect for the general public in Mumbai and Pune.

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The WEH and EEH both saw an increase in the number of private vehicles on Monday morning. More vehicles were also seen on the Sion-Panvel highway and traffic was reported in parts of Andheri, Goregaon, Malad and Kurla. In some areas, traffic jams were caused by the barricades installed by the police.

Traffic police sources said the private vehicles on roads belonged to those involved in essential services. “Officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above have to attend office. For other government offices, 10% staff is allowed. Special economic zone (SEZ) and healthcare-related services are functional. Those in essential services are not using public transport and hence traffic is bound to increase,” said senior traffic police officer, adding that strict action would be taken against anyone stepping out for non-essential reasons.