Special Drive On Mumbai Coastal Road To Curb Racing, Noise Pollution

The special drive comes after teenage collegian died when car driven by her friend overturned on the coastal road in south Mumbai on February 8.

Mumbai:Authorities launched a special drive on Thursday to check racing and vehicular noise pollution on the newly opened coastal road in Mumbai, officials said.

The move comes after a 19-year-old collegian died when a car driven by her friend overturned on the coastal road in south Mumbai on February 8. Last month, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) suspended the licences of two men for three months and seized their cars for allegedly racing on the coastal road.

One of the cars hit the sidewall of a tunnel on the road during the race and its driver abandoned the vehicle and fled, causing a traffic jam. There has also been a rise in complaints from people staying near the coastal road about noise pollution from vehicles.

According to the officials, four squads -- two each of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and traffic police -- will remain deployed at the key entry and exit points of the road to monitor rash driving, racing and other traffic violations.

The 10-km six-lane road between Marine Drive and Worli, opened in phases since March 12, 2024, has been used by more than 50 lakh vehicles so far, with a daily average of 18,000 to 20,000, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department and the Mumbai Traffic Police have now launched a joint special drive to check illegal racing and noise pollution on the road.

"We will seize illegal aftermarket silencers and strictly enforce anti-honking zones, penalising violators under relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act," Joint Transport Commissioner (Enforcement) Ravi Gaikwad said.

The Tardeo and Wadala RTO squads, equipped with high-speed interceptors and speed guns, will patrol daily in two shifts from 7 am to midnight, an RTO official said.