Maharashtra Bhushan award: Heavy vehicles banned on some highways for mega event in Navi Mumbai

The movement of heavy vehicles on Mumbai-Goa highway, the Expressway and the old highway between Mumbai and Pune as well as the Gujarat to Mumbai stretch would be banned on April 15 and 16 for the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar, an official said on Friday.

As per the order issued by state transport department joint secretary Rajendra Holkar, the step has been taken to avoid traffic snarls on these routes as several lakh followers of renowned social worker Appasaheb Dharmadhikari will attend the function scheduled for Sunday. Dharmadhikari, a reformer who has held tree plantation drives, blood donation and medical camps as well as de-addiction work in tribal areas, will be conferred the prestigious award at a function on April 16, which will be graced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

As per the order, heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities like milk, cooking gas cylinders, petrol and diesel, medicines, liquid oxygen, food grains and vegetables etc and ambulances as well as those supplying material for highway and road construction will be allowed to ply.

"The Kharghar to Insuli stretch of Mumbai Goa highway number 66, Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune old highway will remain closed for heavy vehicles like dumpers, trucks, tankers, multi-axle 16 tonne-plus trailers from the midnight of April 14-15 till midnight of April 16-17," an official said.

As per the order, 15-20 lakh followers of Dharmadhikari are expected to attend the ceremony after coming in from all parts of the state, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nashik, Mumbai and Thane, on private vehicles, state transport (ST) buses and trains.

Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar late Friday evening said the mega block (a period of train traffic curbs to carry out engineering and maintenance works on the tracks and overhead equipment) scheduled for Harbour Line had been cancelled.

The CSMT-Panvel Harbour Line connects Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and further to parts of Raigad district.

The mega block on CR's Main Line between Matunga and Mulund for Sunday would be operated as per schedule, Surat added.

Incidentally, BJP leader Prasad Lad had written to his party colleague and Union minister of state for railways Raosaheb Danve for cancellation of the mega block in view of the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony on Sunday.

A road traffic curb notification was also issued by authorities of Palghar district, bordering Gujarat, on Thursday.

As per the notification issued by the Palghar district authorities, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway number 48 will be shut for heavy vehicles from 2pm on April 15 to 11pm on April 16.

However, vehicles can move towards Gujarat from Mumbai as usual during this period, traffic police said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had, earlier this week, made the announcement of the coveted Maharashtra Bhushan award for 2023 being conferred on Dharmadhikari at a function in Kharghar in Navi Mumbai on April 16.

He had said Union Home Minister Amit Shah would attend the function, which will be held at the Corporate Park in Palghar.

Meanwhile, Mahendra Lulle of Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tankers Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh, a truckers body, said the state government must refund tax to transporters for these two days if it prohibits their vehicles from plying on such arterial routes.