Atal Setu sees average daily traffic of 22,689 vehicles in 1 year, below initial estimates
Mumbai (PTI): India’s longest sea bridge Atal Setu, inaugurated a year ago, recorded an average traffic of fewer than 23,000 vehicles per day, lower than the initiation projections of handling more than 56,000 vehicles daily.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the nearly 22-km-long bridge, which connects Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai, on January 12, 2024, marking the completion of a major infrastructure project in Maharashtra.
Built at a cost of about Rs 17,840 crore, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu is the longest bridge in India and also the longest such structure on sea in the country.
In a release on Monday, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the Atal Setu (formerly Mumbai Trans Harbour Link or MTHL) was "emerging as a symbol of modern infrastructure, safety, and efficiency".
The bridge, that crosses over the Thane creek, facilitated the movement of 83,06,009 vehicles over the past year, significantly contributing to smoother and faster transit between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the state-run agency said.
As per a MMRDA report, on an average 57,525 vehicles were projected to use the bridge daily by 2021 (the structure was inaugurated after much delays) and 88,550 by 2031.
With an average daily traffic of 22,689 vehicles since its inauguration, the bridge witnessed its highest single-day count of 61,807 on January 14, 2024, just after it was thrown open for people's use, the release said.
As many as 77,28,149 cars, 99,660 mini buses and LCVs, 1,17,604 buses and two-axle trucks, 1,99,636 three-axle vehicles, 1,60,061 four to six-axle ones and 899 over dimensions vehicles used the Atal Setu in the last one year, the MMRDA pointed out.
"In just one year, it has transformed the commuting experience for over eight million vehicles, contributing significantly to the economic and social development of the region," the release quoted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as saying.
The Atal Setu's robust traffic management and emergency response systems, comprising the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), Fire-Rescue Vehicles (FRVs), maintenance teams, and patrolling units, have ensured seamless operations and swift incident handling, the release said.
"Three specialised teams work 24/7 to monitor traffic, provide medical aid (in case of injuries), and clear disruptions, minimising hazards and maintaining high safety standards," it stated.
The six-lane bridge, having about 16.5 km length over the sea and 5.5 km on land, is also meant to provide faster connectivity between the Mumbai International Airport and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (expected to be operational later this year).
It has reduced the travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India, besides improving connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
