[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a boost for inland water and cargo transport in Mumbai and the metropolitan region, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) will develop coastal shipping facilities at five points in the Vasai Creek.
The MMB will develop five new routes and terminals at Bhayander, Majiwada, Kolshet, Gaimukh (Thane) and Kalher (between Thane and Bhiwandi), to facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo.
This is part of a larger plan to boost inland water transport in and around Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) by launching new routes to reduce congestion on roads and in suburban trains through an alternate mode of connectivity.
A senior MMB official said they had determined the potential of coastal shipping in Vasai, Rajpuri and Jaigad creeks.
The Kalyan-Thane-Mumbai waterway covering the Vasai Creek and Ulhas River, Rajpuri Creek (Raigad) and Shastri River/Jaigad Creek (Ratnagiri) have been designated as national waterways under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
“Apart from passenger and RoRo water transportation, the project will also help transport goods from the region to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and towards Nashik while bypassing arterial roads and cities. We are assessing if this goods transport is logistically and financially viable,” an official said.
The MMB has also floated expressions of interest (EoI) for developing passenger ferry services between NCPA at Nariman Point and Borivli.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
