Prabhadevi Siddhivinayak temple needs to be de-congested due to high footfall

Prabhadevi Siddhivinayak temple needs to be
de-congested due to high footfall

There were reports in a leading daily newspaper over traffic chaos near Mumbai’s most popular shrine the Siddhivinayak Mandir in Prabhadevi and that of the sharing taxis charging heavy fare.

Thousands of devotees that includes tourists from different states flock to the temple for darshan of Lord Ganesha.
he hat They usually make their way from Dadar to the Prabhadevi temple and back to Dadar station.

While some use regular BEST buses others make it by or hire share taxi.

According to the newspaper reports, share taxis often charge high fares to ferry persons, and people are at the mercy of their drivers.

The temple site is extremely congested and it is very challenging for people to walk, cross or even simply get from one point to another. There are high footfalls,

The concerned authorities must crack down hard on the share-a-cab drivers who are duping and blackmailing people, literally holding them to ransom to ferry them to the spot.

While here the focus is on Siddhivinayak, there are other places with high footfalls and commuters who pay exorbitant amounts to get to one place and the next. Auto-rickshaw and taxicab drivers who overcharge customers need to be brought to book.

Many complaints have been made, but, ironically, the chaos continues. Once the menace is nipped in the bud, the authorities need to see that their action is permanent and that the existing pattern does not re-emerge as soon as things cool down a little.

Meanwhile, buses may be welcome but a visionary approach is required, so that the area does not become choked.

The temple site is extremely congested and it is very challenging for people to walk, cross or even simply get from one point to another. There are high footfalls, so there are many hawkers too, on the pavements. It is important to take all these factors into account as good intentions followed by good initiatives, may inadvertently result in chaos on an already very challenging stretch. The service starting is good news, but plans must be in place about how to deal with the vehicular density.

News Edit K.V.Raman