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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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
