Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: To prevent traffic congestion and provide ease of vehicular movement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asked the state administration to set up a separate lane at the toll plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway for vehicles going for the upcoming Ganesh Utsav. instructed to make. A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office on August 28 said that this decision has been taken to ease the movement of traffic on the highway. The 10-day Ganesh festival is starting from August 31. Shinde visited the Khalapur toll plaza and took the decision after meeting with the officials. He asked for augmentation of manpower to prevent traffic congestion during festivals and holidays and to check congestion at toll plazas.
The CM also asked the officials to strengthen the CCTV system to prevent accidents and ensure safety on the expressway. On Friday (August 26), the Maharashtra government waived off toll at toll plazas on the Mumbai-Bengaluru and Mumbai-Goa highways as well as other Public Works Department (PWD) roads from August 27 to September 11 on account of Ganesh Utsav.
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The move was aimed at providing relief to Lord Ganesha devotees traveling from different parts of Maharashtra to the coastal Konkan region of the state. To avail the exemption, vehicles will have to put up a sticker with ‘Ganeshotsav 2022, Konkan Darshan’, containing complete details of the vehicle and its owner, as required by the transport department.
Every year, during Ganeshotsav, several lakh people from Mumbai, Pune and other major cities flock to the coastal Konkan districts of Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to celebrate the state’s biggest public festival.
(with inputs from PTI)