Marathon may take different route next year

The state home department has allowed the Mumbai marathon organisers to take the old route this year,but the run will have to change its route next year as suggested by the Traffic Police.

The state home department has allowed the Mumbai marathon organisers to take the old route this year,but the run will have to change its route next year as suggested by the Traffic Police. Marathon organisers Procam International secured the No Objection Certificate after signing an undertaking that next year they would accept a change in route suggested by the traffic police.

To minimise traffic obstructions,the police had suggested an alternative route starting from Regal Cinema in Colaba to PDemello Road till Five Gardens in Dadar via Wadala for the marathon. The marathon is a commercial venture and we had suggested a new route as the existing route blocks the main arterial roads of the city for over six hours causing problems for motorists, said a traffic police official. At present,the run passes from CST to Bandra via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The state has given a go ahead for the marathon with an agreement that the organisers will follow the route specified by the police next year, said Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal.

The marathon organisers have signed the undertaking agreeing to follow our route suggestions next year, said Brijesh Singh,deputy commissioner of police (traffic). The organisers had sought the governments permission saying that they did not have time to take the alternative route. They also wrote to the city traffic department that the alternative route suggested by them would showcase the weaker part of the city but the traffic police said that the priority is minimum inconvenience to commuters.

However,Joint MD,Procam International,was unavailable for comment.

Based on a petition filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Alka Shah last year,the High Court had passed an order directing the traffic police to ensure that commuters are not inconvenienced during the marathon and if any commuter suffered inconvenience it would be considered contempt to court.

The traffic police officers would have to make arrangements for the event however they have asked for advance payment for the preparations.

The traffic police officials will meet marathon organisers on Thursday where they will propose that one lane of the road be kept free for emergency services.

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