CM Eknath Shinde orders long-term plan for easing traffic congestion in Mumbai region

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday asked the administration to initiate long-term planning for a road development project to ease traffic congestion in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), officials said.

The chief minister asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to take the lead in initiating such a project which will include the construction of by-passes, flyovers, service roads and underpasses, a release said here.

District collectors and municipal commissioners within the MMR -- which includes satellite towns in the neighbouring Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts -- should extend cooperation over land acquisition and other issues, the chief minister said.

Traffic on highways, especially that coming from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Ahmedabad, should be regulated, he added.

Municipal corporations in the MMR should ensure that roads under their jurisdiction are pothole-free, Shinde told the officials.

The MMRDA, a state-run planning authority for Mumbai, and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) should appoint special officers to deal with potholes, the chief minister directed.