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News18
2 days ago
- News18
Maharashtra's Samruddhi Expressway: What Are Entry Points From Mumbai? Have Toll Charges Been Hiked?
Last Updated: Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway: From where can Mumbaiites enter the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg? What are the toll charges for 701-km stretch? The final stretch of the 701-km Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg between Igatpuri in Nashik district and Amane in Thane district was inaugurated on Thursday, making the Mumbai-Nagpur expressway fully operational. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also revealed plans to extend the expressway's connectivity to the upcoming Vadhavan Port in Palghar district, aiming to boost the route's economic impact. What are the toll charges? What is the entry point for those going from Mumbai? News18 answers all questions. A truly historic and emotional moment – the dream of a 'Samruddha' Maharashtra has come true!'Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg' is now complete —it's not just a road, but a strong step towards a brighter was only possible because… — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 6, 2025 MUMBAI TO NAGPUR IN 7 HOURS The high-speed corridor cuts the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to seven hours. The travel time between Amane and Igatpuri has been halved to just 40 minutes. The cost of the project was Rs 55,335 crore. It led to the acquisition of more than 8,800 hectares of land from around 24,000 farmers in 10 districts. The expressway starts from Amane in the adjoining Thane district. Those travelling from Mumbai can reach Amane in a little over two hours. Those joining the expressway at Ghoti need not take the steep Kasara Ghat climb on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway. They can now use the new route with an elevation gain of only 160 metres. For commuters travelling from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the nearest access point for Samruddhi Mahamarg is near Bhiwandi, close to Shangrila Water Park, via the existing Mumbai-Nashik Highway. The Maharashtra government has proposed the expansion and eight-laning of a crucial 23-km stretch from Thane to Vadape, near the entry point of the expressway. 'The final phase of the Samruddhi Mahamarg will boost commuter flow significantly…!''समृद्धी महामार्ग संपूर्णपणे सुरू झाल्यामुळे महामार्गावरील वाहतुकीत मोठी वाढ होणार…!'(पत्रकार परिषद | इगतपुरी, नाशिक | 5-6-2025) #Maharashtra #Nashik #SamruddhiMahamarg — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 5, 2025 TOLL CHARGES A June 4 notification from the state's Public Works Department (PWD) said the toll rates will increase in two phases — the first already effective since April 1, 2025, and the next from April 1, 2028. A final hike will be implemented from April 2031 and will be valid until December 10, 2032. The revised per-kilometre toll rates are as follows: For the entire 701-km journey, the new toll charges will be: The project, lauded for its record-speed execution, incorporates 73 bridges, eco-sensitive underpasses and overpasses for wildlife, five twin tunnels, and 22 facility centres along the route. top videos View all It also includes India's largest highway tunnel system equipped with automatic cooling mechanisms and provisions for 200 MW of solar power generation. The expressway, positioned as Maharashtra's economic corridor, now connects 24 districts directly to JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust), enhancing logistics, industrial connectivity, and interstate trade. First Published:
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai loses its ‘bird man'
MUMBAI: 'Birds teach, they are always revealing some secret, they act as a barometer of the city's general health,' Sunjoy Monga had once told HT. He was to go birding in Lokhandwala this weekend,' said Ravi Vaidyanathan, his friend and partner in his lifelong obsession. It's a date he couldn't keep, for on Wednesday evening, Monga, 63, succumbed to a nine-year battle with blood cancer. An award-winning wildlife photographer and author of several books on nature and birds, Monga was a beloved son of Mumbai. His advocacy for the natural world saw him write a regular column for HT titled 'Mumbai Safari'. He will also be remembered for his 'Bird Race', an annual bird-spotting event that inspired a love of birds in hundreds of Mumbaiites over the years. He's also left a treasure trove of writing for birders. 'A great tree has fallen,' said Pravin Subramanian, who organised the Bird Race with Monga since 2007. 'Monga started his bird-watching journey with legends like Humayun Abdulali and Salim Ali. Back then, there were only two books for bird enthusiasts to follow. Monga filled this void by writing comprehensible books for all.' Deepak Apte, former head of BNHS, said, 'I met Monga in the early '90s, when he led nature trails for the BNHS. He introduced us to the world of scientific bird watching, teaching us to identify birds and listen to bird sounds.' Bittu Sahgal, founder-editor of conservation magazine 'Sanctuary Asia', remembered Monga fondly as a 'crack birder-naturalist'. Speaking about Monga's time between 1990 and 1994 as associate editor at the magazine, Sahgal said, 'Sunjoy was viscerally a part and parcel of 'Sanctuary Asia' magazine at its very start, and a key reason we were able to navigate our way through the science and interpretation of the counterintuitive world of wildlife conservation and natural history. Together, we almost convinced Sir David Attenborough to shoot a few sequences of 'Life on Earth' in India in the early 1980s!' Monga organised Mumbai's first bird race in 2005. It's an exercise he organised annually - now known as 'Wings - Birds of India' - and took to 33 other Indian cities. Inspired by the Hong Kong bird race, Monga called upon all birdwatchers to set aside 12 hours, keeping their eyes peeled for avians of all species. During the first race, 100-odd enthusiasts sighted 277 species of birds in and around Mumbai – and the legacy continues to this day. 'I joined as a participant in the third bird race and have been one of the organisers for the last seven,' said Vaidyanathan. 'Back then, we would jot all our findings in log books and Sunjoy would compile the data. It was Sunjoy who highlighted the death of the wetlands in Uran, where around 12 years ago we were able to spot 60-70 bird species in an hour. Today, even Lokhandwala Lake, in his backyard, is rapidly losing its winged visitors.' Raju Kasambe, programme manager, lands, at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental organisation, remembered, 'At the end of each race, Sunjoy would put together an amusing presentation with a lot of takeaways. It took a lot of grit in the early years to put together a checklist of birds and hand it over to 30 groups, then analyse each sheet and the data, but he did it every year. A lot it has migrated to the e-bird app.' In 2007, Monga launched another project close to his heart. Called 'Young Rangers', it was a training programme that introduced school children to the wild and sensitised them to the environment. It wound up a few years later but is fondly remembered. Monga was a member of the governing council of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for several years. Like many naturalists, Monga's expertise was much sought-after. He was a part of the Executive Committee of the MMRDA's Environment Improvement Society, Maharashtra Nature Park Society and honorary Warden of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. 'Birds were his driving force,' recalled Yuhina Monga, his daughter. 'His terminal illness did not deter him from going bird watching. He would frequently go with his camera by the Lokhandwala Lake and capture birds. In particular, he had a special connection with owls and would collect figurines of different species from all over the world and keep them on display.'
