Navi Mumbai: In order to avoid heavy traffic during the Ganesh festival, movement of vehicles weighing more than 16 tons has been banned on Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66) for specific days, Panvel Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Nilesh Dhote announced.
Dates and Timings of Restrictions
The ban will be in force from August 23 (00:01 hrs) to August 28 (23:00 hrs), on August 31 (08:00 hrs to 23:00 hrs), on September 2 (08:00 hrs to 23:00 hrs), and from September 6 (08:00 hrs) to September 7 (20:00 hrs). It will apply to all trucks, multi-axle vehicles, trailers, lorries and other heavy vehicles above 16 tons.
Festival Travel Leads to Long Jams
Every year, thousands of devotees from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Dombivli, and Vasai travel to Konkan and Goa for the festival, causing long traffic snarls on both the Pune and Konkan routes, said the official. So that the heavy vehicles do not add on to the traffic, the decision was made.
Exempted Vehicles from the Ban
The ban will not apply to vehicles carrying milk, fuel, LPG cylinders, medicines, liquid medical oxygen, food grains, vegetables and other perishable goods, or to import-export cargo from JNPT and Jaigarh ports.
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Vehicles transporting materials for road widening and repair works on NH-66 are also exempt, but transporters must obtain special entry passes from the Transport Department or Highway Police.
