Raigad readies 10 Mumbai-Goa highway help centres for Ganeshotsav

Ten assistance centres from Karnala to Dhamandevi-Kashedi Ghat are being readied for Ganeshotsav travellers taking the Mumbai-Goa highway towards Konkan.

The Raigad administration said the centres will operate at Karnala, Kharpale, Wakan, Kolad, Indapur, Mangaon, Lonere, Mohopra Bridge in Mahad, Panadewadi and Dhamandevi-Kashedi Ghat. They will offer police assistance, basic healthcare, vehicle-repair services, drinking water, free tea and biscuits, infant-feeding facilities and a separate feeding room for women.

Five medical teams with ambulances will remain on round-the-clock duty at hospitals in Panvel, Pen, Mangaon, Mahad and Poladpur. Police, public works and health departments are coordinating the arrangements as traffic builds on the Konkan route.

The support network follows the state’s planned Ganeshotsav traffic diversions and traveller facilities and restrictions on heavy vehicles on NH-66. Motorists have been asked to follow traffic rules and cooperate with personnel on the highway.