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.
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Devika's attempt to start ferry services for 500 people in early 2020 was hampered by the lockdown. Finally, in August of the same year, in partnership with the Mumbai Port Trust, Devika started the services of 'M to M Ferries' which could carry 500 passengers. This ferry has the facility to carry 120 cars and 60 bikes.
'' These services start from seven in the morning. With this, all those who go to Mumbai for work from this side are able to use our services. The ticket price ranges from Rs.400 to Rs.1,500. Vehicles will have to be paid extra. 100 people traveled on our ferry on the first day. In 2021, 5.5 lakh people along with 1 lakh cars and 30 thousand bikes went. This year that number is going to double. We have invested Rs.75 crores for the ferry. Due to covid there were losses for almost a year. But we did not lose our composure. 65 thousand people traveled in May this year. Soon we will start some more ferries in other ports' says Devika.
