Maritime board told to prepare DPR for water transport facilities in Mumbai region: Minister Pratap Sarnaik

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik chaired a meeting with officials of his department over the water taxi, ropeway, and pod taxi projects, on Wednesday.

The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has been directed to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for developing water transport facilities for Mumbai and its metropolitan region, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Wednesday.

A meeting regarding water taxi, ropeway, and pod taxi was held at the office of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Transport Department under Sarnaik's chairmanship. The meeting was attended by officials of the Urban Development Department, Maritime Board and Transport Commissioner ST Corporation, news agency PTI reported.

"The number of vehicles as well as passengers in the Mumbai metropolitan area is increasing rapidly. The surge in the number of passengers is hampering the existing transport services. Therefore, there should be discussion on new routes for transport services in Mumbai. A survey should be conducted in such places where there is a lot of traffic," he told the officials during the meeting, while directing them to create more transport options for the convenience of the citizens.

Later, while speaking to the media, the transport minister said that water taxi services are operational in several European as well as American and Gulf countries, but despite being surrounded by the sea, this transport mode is largely unexplored in Mumbai and its adjoining areas.

Suggesting that a separate department of a new transport service under the transport department be created, Sarnaik stated that a novel mechanism will have to be created for the construction of ropeways. "At present, the Public Works Department is in the process of constructing a ropeway. The Public Works Department should formulate new rules for this [ropeway project]. Parking is a big problem in big cities. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will conduct a survey for the construction of underground parking plazas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region," he said, while suggesting the appointment of a consultant for the project.

Meanwhile, a survey for the proposed pod taxi service between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), a business district, and suburban Kurla is currently underway and the exercise is expected to be completed by October, Sarnaik informed.

Pod taxis are fully automated vehicles designed to transport a fixed number of passengers between specified locations.

Sarnaik said that the work on the pod taxi project should be expedited. "The 8.8-km stretch between Bandra East and Kurla will have 38 stations. There will be a stop every 15 seconds," minister Sarnaik said, while directing officials to plan the work for the project accordingly.

(With PTI inputs)