Heavy vehicles will not be permitted to travel on the Mumbai-Goa highway, the Expressway, the old Mumbai-Pune highway, and the Gujarat-Mumbai stretch on April 15 and 16 for the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar, official said on Friday.
The joint secretary of the state transport department, Rajendra Holkar, has issued an order stating that the ban on heavy vehicles is necessary to prevent traffic congestion on these roads as followers of the renowned social worker Appasaheb Dharmadhikari are expected to attend the function scheduled for Sunday.
“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.
On April 16, a ceremony will be held to confer the prestigious award upon Dharmadhikari, a well-known reformer who has organized various social activities such as tree plantation drives, blood donation and medical camps, and de-addiction work in tribal areas. The event will be graced by the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
According to the order, the ceremony is expected to be attended by 15-20 lakh followers of Dharmadhikari who will be coming from various parts of the state, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nashik, Mumbai, and Thane. These followers are expected to travel to the ceremony on private vehicles, state transport (ST) buses, and trains.
Vehicles Carrying Essential Commodities Exempted
The ban on heavy vehicles, as per the order, will exempt those carrying essential commodities such as milk, cooking gas cylinders, petrol and diesel, medicines, liquid oxygen, food grains, and vegetables, as well as ambulances and vehicles supplying materials for highway and road construction. These vehicles will be permitted to ply as usual.
Palghar Notification
The authorities of Palghar district, which borders Gujarat, have also issued a similar notification.
As per the notification, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway number 48 will be closed for heavy vehicles from 2 pm on April 15 to 11 pm on April 16.
However, vehicles can move towards Gujarat from Mumbai as usual during this period, traffic police said.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the coveted Maharashtra Bhushan award for 2023 will be presented to Dharmadhikari at a ceremony in Kharghar, 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, representing the Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tankers Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh, has stated that if the state government imposes a ban on heavy vehicles on major routes during these two days, it should refund the tax paid by transporters for those days.
(with inputs from PTI)
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment