Belpada villagers demand change in name of station

They want one name among the proposed 11 stations in Belapur to Pendhar route altered

Veda Ramaswamy, Kharghar

May 21, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

The villagers of Belpada are demanding change in name of one of the proposed 11 stations in Phase I - Belapur to Pendhar route of the Navi Mumbai metro rail project. They want the proposed CIDCO Science Park station to be renamed as Belpada Science Park station. The local village people’s committee led by Shiv Sena leader Shirish Gharat had sent a proposal to the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on May 15, demanding the name of the station to be changed in order to retain the identity of the village.

“In 1971, CIDCO had bought the land at Belpada from the farmers of the village for the development of Navi Mumbai. When CIDCO developed Kharghar node, the villagers of Belpada had demanded a similar name change of the Kharghar Railway Station to Kharghar-Belpada. But their plea had fallen on deaf ears,” said Gharat. Again the village seems to be losing its identity since no station has been named after it. Hence the committee decided to send the letter to the officials under the leadership of Gharat. “The Navi Mumbai metro rail project is a great initiative taken by the CIDCO. But at the same time, it should be ensured that a village as old and significant as Belpada should not be neglected. Both the proposed stations - CIDCO Science Park and Utsav Chowk are originally at Belpada, but the village has not been given any acknowledgment. This has hurt the sentiments of many villagers,” said Gharat.

“Belpada is a noteworthy village which has not received its due recognition. If the station is renamed as Belpada Science Park, it would help the village regain its individuality and gratify the residents,” said Vishwanath Mhatre, a resident of the village. Gharat is also planning a meeting with the Chief Minister in the coming fortnight to raise his concern over the issue and ensure that an action is taken.

The metro rail project is the first metro route to be entirely owned by a public body - CIDCO unlike the Mumbai metro project wherein a private firm owns a major stake. Out of the three phases, Phase I is an 11.1 km long rail route between Belapur and Pendhar and is estimated to cost around Rs 1,984 crore. The proposed railway stations on this route are Belapur Railway Station, Sector-7 Belapur, CIDCO Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector-14, Central Park, Pethapada, Sector-34, Panchnand and Pendhar.

From Pendhar, the next 8 km phase would connect the metro to Navi Mumbai airport site near Khandeshwar after passing via Kalamboli and is expected to cost around Rs 1,605 crore. In the final phase, the two corridors shall be joined together between Pendhar and MIDC by a link of 2.2 km. This link shall form a loop from Belapur to Khandeshwar and would cost the authorities around Rs 574 crore.

The metro is touted to ease the commuting woes of Navi Mumbaikars to suburban stations, residential nodes and the upcoming international airport in Panvel.

MSRDC plans alternate route for Panvel flyover

Veda Ramaswamy, Panvel

May 21, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

In the wake of the problems caused by hutments at the construction site of Panvel flyover, MSRDC in unison with MMRDA have devised an alternate route for the flyover. The estimated cost of the project is set to increase from Rs150 crore to Rs156 crore in advent of the change in route. A spot visit will be conducted by the DCP (traffic) Vijay Patil and ACP (traffic) Shrikant Dhivare on Friday to approve the plan.

The work of the 1.7 km long flyover, undertaken by JMC Projects (India) Ltd., began in November 2009. It had faced a lot of pitfalls since its commencement. The construction work had been divided into three stages- first phase constitutes construction near Garden Hotel, near the New Panvel signal, second phase begins from the New Panvel signal till Panvel ST Stand and the third phase begins from ST Stand till Takka village.

“There are around 150 slums in the flyover area due to which the flyover work is getting obstructed. We had conducted a cabin meeting with CIDCO where in it was decided that CIDCO would provide land for the rehabilitation of these hutments so that the work would carry on efficiently. But no action has been taken yet,” said SG Patankar, chief operating officer, Panvel Municipal Council.

“The rehabilitation of hutments is necessary for the flyover to be completely functional. Since the hutments haven’t been rehabilitated yet, an alternate route has been formulated as a solution to the problem. Earlier, there was a straight link between Ambedkar Junction and the Takka village. But now, a diversion will be created which would begin from the Hanuman Temple and end at Ambedkar Junction via Panacea Hospital,” said RK Mishra, sr DGM, JMC Projects.

This diversion is expected to increase the length of the flyover by 200-300 meters. “We are going to conduct a meeting tomorrow to analyse the consequences of the newly proposed diversion on traffic. Only then can we approve the plan,” said Shrikant Dhivare ACP (traffic). “I am not aware of this issue. I don’t have any details about it,” said Mohan Ninave, the chief PRO, CIDCO.

The work on Panvel flyover has been completed up to 50% and is expected to be completed by July 2012. The project is being funded by MMRDA and is being executed by MSRDC.

How special are these ladies’ special trains

Veda Ramaswamy speaks to women to get a feel of the issue

The Matrubhoomi or ladies’ special trains introduced on the Central Railway’s harbour line has proved to be a boon for the 35,000-odd women commuters in Navi Mumbai within two years of its launch.

Earlier, there were only two ladies special trains running between Panvel and CST. Due to its success, last August four new ladies specials were introduced on the trans-harbour Thane-Vashi-Panvel route. This service has proved to be of timely convenience to the women commuters. Not only has it facilitated comfortable traveling, but has also ensured the safety of women travellers owing to the presence of the Mahila Vahini, an all women constable squad in such trains. Women commuters enjoy the luxury of space, seats and cordial environment in such trains; things which they are deprived of otherwise.

However, there have also been issues about men boarding these trains despite repeated warnings. In spite of announcements being made to make the passengers aware about the arrival of the ladies’ special train, there have been many instances where men deliberately board the train to avoid the rush in regular locals.

What do women of Navi Mumbai feel about this exclusive railway service, their safety on such trains and other such issues, if any, associated with the service? DNA Navi Mumbai asked the frequent railway women commuters and here is what they have to say.

Kharghar skywalk nearing completion

CIDCO says 75% of the work has been finished while the rest will be over at the earliest

Veda Ramaswamy, Kharghar

May 20, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Photographer - Umesh Pawar, DNA

The construction work of the much awaited Kharghar skywalk is nearing its final stages of completion. According to the CIDCO officials, the physical progress of the Kharghar skywalk has been completed up to 75% and the rest 25% is expected to be completed within a period of two months. Conscious efforts are on to conclude the work before the arrival of monsoon for the convenience of pedestrians and commuters.

The skywalk will be the first-of-its-kind in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region to have an open type escalator in the entrance foyer portion of Kharghar Railway Station with a ramp for alighting. A cable suspension bridge like the one at Bandra-Worli Sea Link will connect Kharghar Railway Station to the opposite side of the Mumbai-Pune Highway. One arm of the skywalk extends from the suspension bridge to the Bharati Vidyapeeth College campus while the other arm extends towards Utsav Chowk.

“The foundation work of the escalator has been completed near the station. The escalator will be assembled once its different parts are imported from countries like China and Japan,” said a CIDCO official on condition of anonymity. The construction work on the Utsav Chowk end of the skywalk has almost been concluded barring minor touch ups to a few steps on the staircase. The part near the Bharati Vidyapeeth College campus is to be worked upon mainly. “The work of setting up the suspension cables to the bridge is remaining. These cables are imported from China. As soon as we obtain these cables, the work on the suspension bridge would commence,” said VS Kulkarni, Superintendent Engineer, CIDCO.

The Kharghar skywalk is around 1.7 km in length. J Kumar Infrastructure Projects Pvt Ltd is in charge of this venture. The total cost of the skywalk project is Rs 32.72 crore. According to CIDCO officials, the skywalk will help reduce the number of fatal accidents caused due to pedestrians crossing the highway. Also, Kharghar being a flourishing educational hub, it would make the process of commuting much convenient for hordes of students. “The concept of an escalator at the station amazes me. I am looking forward to the skywalk being open to the pedestrians and commuters soon. It would not only save our time but also ensure our safety,” said Ashwin Tembhe, a student from Kharghar.

Seawoods, a neglected station

Veda Ramaswamy tries to find out the causes for the official apathy

While steps are being taken to constantly improve the facilities available at stations on the harbour and trans-harbour railway lines, Seawoods-Darave is a station that has been neglected by far. It lacks even the basic amenities necessary for commuters. Few years into its construction and yet the station is in its developing stages. One glance at the station platform and one would notice the absence of functional indicators, announcements, watches and coach signs. For the passengers who don’t travel often, it is tough to understand where the ladies compartment or the first class compartment would

halt. Also, the station has only one serviceable ticket counter. To add to the commuters’ woes, there are no Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) either. Travellers are compelled to wait in long queues to get their tickets. At a time when the satellite city is flourishing and taking measures for the benefit of its residents, certain steps need to be taken swiftly for the betterment of the station and convenience of the commuters. DNA Navi Mumbai gets talking with the local people about the problems they face at Seawoods-Darave station due to the lack of essential facilities and here is what they have to say:

- May 19, 2011 : DNA Navi Mumbai

Over 400 athletes take part in first ball badminton event

Veda Ramaswamy, Belapur

May 18, 2011- DNA Navi Mumbai

Tamil Nadu boys and Kerala girls bagged titles in the 56th Junior National Ball Badminton Championship held at Ekta Vihar Ground in CBD-Belapur. The event which was organized by the Navi Mumbai Ball Badminton Association (NMBBA) was a first for the satellite city. It witnessed participation of 420 athletes from all over India. The competition was divided into two categories for under-19 boys and under-19 girls.

“Every year in the Athletics Federation of India meet, the state to organize the event is decided upon. Later in the executive meet, various cities demand the rights to organize it. This time, Navi Mumbai bagged the privilege,” said Vishal Yadav, vice-president of NMBBA.

In all 230 boys from 23 states and 190 girls from 19 states had participated in the event which witnessed 136 matches in a span of six days between May 11 and 16. Around 100 referees had officiated throughout the tournament. The boys’ final was played between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh while Kerala and Tamil Nadu girls locked horns in the girls’ final. Maharashtra secured seventh position in both the categories.

Ball badminton is a sport native to India which originated in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu. It is a racket game played with a yellow ball made of wool on a court of 12 x 24 meters dimension that is divided by a net. The game is played between two teams, each consisting of 10 players.

Moraj Circle gets a makeover with a cause

NMMC is beautifying a piece of land for the benefit of motorists

Veda Ramaswamy, Sanpada

May 18, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Photographer - Nandu Kurne, DNA

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has undertaken yet another initiative so as to ensure safety of vehicular traffic along Palm Beach Road. The piece of land that works as a divider between the two lanes of the arterial road at Moraj Circle in Sanpada is being reworked for the benefit of motorists.

Earlier, the 300-metre stretch of land in Sanpada was occupied by palm trees and other plants that would add to the beauty of the area. But it proved to be a major hindrance to the drivers as it deprived them from sighting the vehicular traffic on the adjacent lane, which proved to be risky especially while taking U-turns. NMMC has embarked on its amendment since last week. Presently, the area is being filled with mud and stones and is expected to be ready within 15 days.

“When the rains arrive, this area would be covered with a lush green carpet of grass. Not only would it maintain the beauty but also prove to be much secure for the motorists. Their vision would not be blocked anymore,” said Bhalchandra Gavali, an official from the NMMC’s garden department.

Similar task is being carried out by NMMC at the Nerul end of Palm Beach Road as well. The 20-25 meter strip of land is being filled with saplings, each 1 ½ feet in height. “This move will prove to be advantageous for Navi Mumbaikars. Both these spots are heavy traffic points and important junctions. It will help avoid the occurrence of any mishaps as well as reduce the rates of accidents in future,” said ACP (Traffic), Shrikant Dhivare. In 2010, there were a total of 107 accidents recorded on Palm Beach Road, including 16 deaths, 34 critical injuries, 10 minor injuries and 70 accidents without any injuries. “This move will definitely assist the drivers. The trees used to obstruct our vision earlier. But now, driving would be much easier and safer,” said Mahesh Shah, a regular motorist along the Palm Beach Road.