Mandwa (Mahrashtra): If you go by road from Mandwa in Maharashtra to Mumbai, it is a distance of 100 km. A three-hour drive. Devika Saigal reduced that distance to 19 km and reached it in less than an hour. This change was made possible by ferry services across the Arabian Sea. She became the first woman to enter this field by providing ferry services in Maharashtra.
Mandwa port once had not even a small shop. The government approached private companies in 2016 to develop the area. Devika Saigal wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Devika wanted to bring ferry services to Mumbai. She has done Masters in International Management in England. She shared her idea with her father who ran a shipping and trading company. She stepped forward with the encouragement of her father. Towards development...
Mandwa jetty is mostly used by commuters to Alibaug. This area was also used to store old shipping containers. "For the first time, we have set up an ATM facility here. After that, we saw public toilets and small shops coming up. We converted more than 20 containers into shops and named this area 'Beach Box'. We have prepared an amphitheater and organized music programs, plays, movies, flea markets, dance, fitness training, etc. With that, the arrival of tourists to this port started. Initially, up to 2,000 people visited on weekends. This number has crossed 60 thousand within a year. All this effort is to start the ferry service. But it didn't happen as originally planned '' said Devika.