India’s longest bridge 21.8 km ‘Atal Setu’ inaugurated. Here’s what’s allowed and what’s not

News Network
January 12, 2024

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu today. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link has been built at a cost of ₹ 17,840 crore and is the longest sea bridge in the country.

In December 2016, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the bridge. Marking the historic milestone in India's infrastructure development, the name Atal Setu also honours the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Atal Setu is a 21.8-kilometre-long bridge that connects Sewri in Mumbai and the Nhava Sheva area in Raigad district.

The 6-lane bridge has a 16.5 km stretch over the sea and about 5.5 km on land. The conceptualisation of this bridge was made six decades ago with the aim of connecting Mumbai's Sewri to Raigad's Chirle.

With the help of the country's longest bridge, the journey between the two locations will be shortened from the current two hours to around 15-20 minutes.

What's allowed

The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will be 100 kmph.

The maximum speed limit for vehicles like cars, taxis, light motor vehicles, minibuses and two-axle buses is 100 kilometres per hour.

On the ascent and descent of the bridge, the speed will be restricted to 40 kilometres per hour.

What's not allowed

The police, on Wednesday, informed that motorbikes, auto rickshaws and tractors won't be allowed on the sea bridge, the police said on Wednesday. There will also be no entry for vehicles like motorcycles, mopeds, three-wheelers, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles.

Multi-axle heavy vehicles, trucks and buses heading towards Mumbai won't have an entry on the Eastern Freeway.

These vehicles will have to take the Mumbai Port-Sewri Exit (Exit 1C) and use the MBPT Road near 'Gadi Adda' for further movement.

An official informed that the Mumbai police have imposed the speed limit on India's longest sea bridge to curb "danger, obstructions and inconvenience to the public.”

Key points 

1.    Building the Atal Setu aims to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.

2.    According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the travel time between Sewri and Chirle will now be reduced from 61 minutes to less than 20 minutes.

3.    It will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

4.    Travellers will be charged ₹250 for a one-way toll for the bridge. The charges for the return journey and frequent commuters will vary.

5.    The toll charge may be revised after a year following a review.

6.    The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers has been kept at 100 km/hour. Two-wheelers, tractors and autorickshaws would not be allowed on the bridge.

7.    Nearly 70,000 vehicles are expected to run across the bridge daily.

8.    The bridge weighs 17 times the weight of the steel used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

9.    Apart from reducing the travel time, the actual potential of the Atal Setu will be unveiled after the completion of projects including the Eastern Freeway-Marine Drive tunnel, Sewri-Worli elevated corridor, Chirle-Palaspe connection with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, as well as the Navi Mumbai international airport.

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News Network
May 14,2024

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Jerusalem: Israel and India will continue to deepen their bilateral ties and lead to greater prosperity, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

Katz was responding to India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s message on the occasion of Israel’s 76th Independence Day.

“Thank you for the warm wishes, FM @DrSJaishankar. In celebration of our Independence Day, Israel and India will continue to deepen our ties and lead to greater prosperity,” Katz said in a post on X.

Earlier in the morning, Jaishankar posted on X a 2:03-minute video showcasing the India-Israel relationship through photos of various bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, himself, and other Indian ministers with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers.

“Congratulate FM @Israel_katz and the people of Israel on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of Israel’s Independence. Mazel Tov!,” Jaishankar posted along with the video and repeated the same message in another post in Hebrew.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu wished her Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog as she said on X, “I join the people of India in conveying our best wishes to President @Isaac_Herzog, and the people of Israel on the 76th anniversary of Israel’s independence.”

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla too took to X to post his greetings to his counterpart Amir Ohana, the Speaker of The Knesset: “On the occasion of Israel’s 76th anniversary of independence, I congratulate Speaker of the Knesset @AmirOhana and the people of Israel.”

Both Murmu and Birla also included greetings in Hebrew.

“Thank you, my dear friend @ombirlakota. May the friendship between our nations grow stronger,” Ohana replied to Birla and also added a line in Devnagari script in Hindi, loosely translated as, “Thank you my dear friend Om Birla. May the friendship between our countries be stronger.”

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News Network
May 8,2024

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Nearly 80 Air India Express flights were canceled after the cabin crew members went on a "mass sick leave", official sources said on Wednesday.

As many as 79 international and domestic flights were canceled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.

The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.

The cabin crew has also alleged that there was a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff after the merger with Tata Group. They claim that some staff members were offered lower job position despite clearing interviews, sources said.

"A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result," an Air India Express spokesperson said.

"We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide," the spokesperson added.

Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.

Several passengers took to their social media accounts and complained about the sudden cancellations of their flights. They said that they had "no information" about the cancellations.

Some "very disappointed" passengers on X said that they had reached the airport when they were informed that their flights were canceled.

"We apologise for any inconvenience. Please be informed that your flight has been canceled due to operational reasons," Air India Express said in response to one of the posts on X.

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News Network
May 4,2024

Mangaluru, May 4: The Mangaluru International Airport was besieged with a harrowing message of terror recently, when an email, purportedly from malevolent elements, menacingly declared the planting of bombs within the airport premises. 

Addressed to the office of the airport authority, the missive, steeped in ominous overtones, bore the ominous signature of a terrorist faction, ominously named 'Terrorizers 111'.

The communication, disseminated in English, ominously detailed the clandestine emplacement of explosives in areas eluding facile detection, accompanied by a chilling warning of their imminent detonation. The threat, ominously looming over not only the infrastructure but also the airborne vessels, portended a catastrophic deluge of bloodshed and loss.

In response to this dire communiqué, airport authorities swiftly engaged the apparatus of law enforcement, dispatching urgent alerts to the vigilant guardians of public safety. Acting upon the dictates of higher echelons, a formal dossier of this menacing correspondence was meticulously compiled, cloaked in the veil of confidentiality to thwart any premature dissemination.

Mangaluru International Airport found itself in grim camaraderie with more than 30 counterparts under the aegis of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and private domains, all recipients of this chilling electronic diatribe. A comprehensive net of precautionary measures was swiftly cast, fortifying the bastions of security in anticipation of any nefarious designs lurking within the shadows.

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