The motorists are riding with a smile all the way since the Bandra Worli Sea Link opened a month back. The same cannot be said for the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the government undertaking behind the prestigious project.
MSRDC is ruing the fact the usage of the sea link is well below - around 40%, to put a figure - its expectations to achieve break-even. There are only 33,000 vehicles plying on it on daily basis against the break-even of 55,000.
But for those who are taking the sea link, the travel has been quite a breeze. To add to the delight of others who do not take the bridge, the traffic on the alternative arterial roads between Bandra and Worli—LJ Road and Cadell Road—has reduced by a significant 40%. In other words, these roads, which were quite a nightmare during rush hours, offer a smooth ride for all vehicles after the sea link opened on July 5.
Worried by the low collections, its owner MSRDC on Tuesday asked for a detailed report from the toll collector on the amount of revenue collected. “For MSRDC to break even, we expect revenue of Rs20 lakh per day. This means that about 55,000 vehicles should use the sea link, which is not the case. We have now asked Mumbai Entry Point Ltd (MEPL), the toll collector, to submit a detailed report on revenue collection,” MSRDC superintendent engineer Vivek Ghanekar told DNA.
While conceding that the traffic volume was not as much as expected, MEPL managing director Jayant Mhaiskar confirmed that his company will be submitting a detailed report to MSRDC. “The average number of vehicles taking the sea link is not exceeding 33,000 per day. We are collecting Rs16.5 lakh as toll amount on an average. We are doing our best to increase traffic flow by way of advertising on FM radio and sending text messages,” said Mhaiskar.
That said, the sea link has proved to be a breath of fresh air for many. Three arterial roads in Central Mumbai that lead to Bandra—LJ Road, Gokhale Road and Cadell Road—have reported nearly 40% drop in vehicular traffic.
BEST buses on sea link?
MEPL managing director Jayant Mhaiskar feels that one way to increase revenue is to introduce BEST buses on the sea link. He said that the issue was being discussed between MSRDC and BEST officials. “BEST can buy a monthly pass at Rs5,000 per bus. This is not a costly affair at all,” MSRDC chief engineer Sharad Sabnis said. However, Uttam Khobragade, general manager, BEST said there was no such plan. “There are no talks with MSRDC at the moment,” said Khobragade.
CCTV still offline
Though all the six close circuit television cameras (CCTV) are now functional on the sea link, they are curiously not being used for traffic control. “We are getting updates on wind speed, temperature, humidity as well as rainfall through this system. The traffic cops have decided to link this system with their main control room at Worli through some sort of a wireless system. However, it is still unclear how they will connect both,” a senior MSRDC official said.
Need to curb free loaders
W hen DNA spoke to workers at the toll plaza, it found that some free loaders were using the sea link without paying any toll. “One smart-looking lady in a car and told me she just did not have any cash with her. Since there was a lot of traffic behind her, I had to let her go for free,” said a toll collector. Another collector said that a gentleman flashed a credit card as a smart card. “He said that it was his pass.” Jayant Mhaiskar, MEPL, however said such cases were rare.
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