After days of crippling jams, traffic at the Vashi toll naka finally began moving smoothly on Tuesday afternoon, following the state government’s Government Resolution (GR) on Maratha reservation.
Commuters Report Smooth Travel to Mumbai
The relief came as police diverted protestors’ vehicles from the Sion–Panvel highway and the Atal Setu road, preventing the usual choke points at Vashi. Close to 15,000 vehicles, which had been parked around the CIDCO exhibition centre in Vashi and in the APMC market area, began dispersing once the announcement was made.
Police Deployment for Bandobast
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“The traffic is moving smoothly towards Mumbai since Tuesday afternoon. The traffic towards Panvel is slow due to the protestors returning. All police staff is deployed on the roads for bandobast and to manage traffic,” said DCP (Traffic) Tirupati Kakade.
Panvel Faces Slow Traffic Movement
For four days prior, motorists had endured hour-long delays from Vashi to Mankhurd as the protest built up. With vehicles now exiting Navi Mumbai, commuters heading to Mumbai reported much shorter travel times.
However, residents near Belapur, Kharghar and Panvel said the return of protestors has shifted congestion downstream. “It’s better at Vashi, but now Panvel end is struggling with the outflow of vehicles. Though there is no traffic jam, the traffic movement is slow,” said a Belapur resident.
