Sena (UBT) MLC demands helipad on Atal Setu after Expressway traffic chaos
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Legislative Council Milind Narvekar has demanded the provision of a helipad and emergency facilities on the Atal Setu, which connects Mumbai and Raigad district, citing the recent 33-hour traffic congestion on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Narvekar highlighted the chaos on the high-speed carriageway between Mumbai and Pune after a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned in the hilly Khandala Ghat section earlier this week.
The MLC said he also got stuck on the Expressway when he went to Pune to meet the family members of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28.
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It is necessary to hold a review of the emergency arrangements on the Atal Setu, formerly Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, or MTHL, he said. With Atal Setu, the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai has been reduced to just 20 minutes, and this has led to an increase in vehicular traffic on the sea bridge, he said.
According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the Atal Setu facilitated the movement of 83,06,009 vehicles over the past year.
Narvekar called for an urgent emergency plan to deal with situations arising from accidents such as the one on the Expressway or from natural calamities.
“There should be an emergency plan and a helipad (on the Atal Setu) on an urgent basis,” Narvekar said.
The Atal Setu, which links Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai, was thrown open to the public in January 2024. Of its entire length of 21.8 km, 16.5 km runs over the sea.
Earlier, an industrialist had said that he took a helicopter to return to Pune after being stranded for eight hours on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to the massive traffic jam
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Kerala woman on trek at Tadiandamol hills goes missing, search operations on
Bengaluru (PTI): A 36-year-old woman, who went trekking at Tadiandamol hills in Kodagu district, has gone missing inside the forest. Additional personnel and drone cameras have been deployed to search for her, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said on Sunday.
He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, expressing concern about the young woman's disappearance, instructed that search operations be intensified.
G S Sharanya had come alone from Kerala for the trek and stayed at a private homestay in Kakkabe village.
She had gone to the high mountain range of Tadiandamol hills in Kodagu with a guide and 15 other trekkers on April 2. She went missing that afternoon. As soon as the matter was known, five teams of 50 people, including police, the anti-Naxal squad, a dog squad and forest personnel were formed, and are conducting searches, the minister's office said in a statement.
According to Khandre, CM Siddaramaiah expressed concern about the disappearance of the young woman who went on a trek and instructed that additional personnel be deployed for the search.
"Four additional teams of 40 personnel have been deployed today. A total of 9 teams are conducting the search operation. Honest efforts continue to find the missing young woman," he said.
Further noting that, as per reports, the young woman last contacted the homestay by phone on Thursday, stating she had lost her way, the minister said, "Search is being conducted based on her phone location. Local tribal people have also rushed to help, and sophisticated thermal drone cameras have been obtained with an additional team deployed starting today."
