Mumbaikars will have to hold back some more as the inauguration of much-awaited water taxi service from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai got postponed amid the rising COVID-19 cases in the city.
Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) officials are yet to announce a new date for starting of services. According to reports, the trial run for this route was completed and the jetty has been constructed at both the locations by early December.
Meanwhile, clarifying on the same, Maharashtra Port Minister Aslam Shaikh said that the Port Trust will inform in a couple of days as to when the inauguration will take place.
Moreover, it has also come to light that the MbPT is planning to request Union Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal to inaugurate the service. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to inaugurate the service during his visit in the first week of January.
A senior MbPT officer told that Sonowal orally agreed to flag off the services by the second week of February, however, they have not received a written communication yet, regarding the same. There is pressure from the state government to open the services.
For those unversed, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and Mumbai Port Trust are set to start pilot run of water taxi services between domestic cruise terminal (DCT) at Princess Dock in Mazgaon in South Mumbai and Belapur in Navi Mumbai. The journey from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, in the water taxi, can be completed 40 minutes, once operational.
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