Devotees travelling to their home towns in Konkan for the upcoming Ganpati festival have been exempt from paying toll charges. They can also expect their journey to be pothole-free and without any traffic congestion as all the roads heading to Konkan have been repaired, the state authorities have claimed.
The minister of public works and chairman of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Eknath Shinde, who held a review meeting with the officials, said he has given instructions not to argue with devotees for payment at toll plazas as it has been exempted. “Travellers will be provided stickers for exemption,” he noted.
In addition, he has instructed the officials to deploy ambulances, rapid response vehicles and JCBs, along with adequate police personnel, at toll plazas to help avoid crowding and to provide relief in crisis.
To not inconvenience the devotees, all the roads and highways are being repaired and maintained. “Traffic congestion will be reduced in view of the deployment of additional manpower on the Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Satara and Mumbai-Goa highways. Separate lanes for vehicles of devotees have been marked. The Public Works Department, MSRDC and the National Highway Authority of India are working in coordination,” Shinde said.
Meanwhile, state home minister Dilip Walse-Patil announced that the highway traffic police along with the local police have been deployed on the way to Konkan to ensure that devotees do not face any problem and traffic is not obstructed.