Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburban District, Adv. Ashish Shelar has expressed the urgent need for aerial emergency facilities to tackle potential future emergencies on important transport routes like the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Versova-Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and the entire Coastal Road. In this context, he has requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to establish a helipad near the sea link in the Bandra Reclamation area.
On the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, a gas tanker overturned two days ago, causing a serious accident. Due to this incident, drivers and passengers were stranded for more than 36 hours. This incident has once again highlighted the limitations in emergency management on major traffic routes in the state. Against this backdrop, Guardian Minister Adv. Shelar has pointed out how challenging it can be to respond immediately to a major accident, fire, explosion, or natural disaster on routes like the Coastal Road and Sea Link in Mumbai.
In the memorandum sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Adv. Shelar has noted that the Coastal Road is partly underground and partly over the sea. In such places, in case of an accident, it can be extremely difficult to quickly extract the injured, move them to hospitals, and facilitate the rapid movement of police, fire brigade, disaster management teams, and NDRF. Therefore, instead of relying on traditional roadways, he has clarified that the inclusion of aerial emergency facilities is the need of the hour.
In this context, Adv. Shelar has emphasized the urgent need to establish a helipad in the Bandra Reclamation area, near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. He stated in his statement that the space required for a helipad is available at this location, and with proper planning, this facility can be operational in a short time. He has requested the Chief Minister to immediately instruct the concerned authorities to make the necessary decisions.
If a helipad is established, in emergency situations occurring on the Coastal Road or Sea Link, the injured can be transported to the hospital in a very short time via air ambulance. Especially, rapid contact can be made with major hospitals in Mumbai, including Lilavati Hospital. This will greatly help in reducing casualties.
This air facility will also make coordination between police, fire brigade, disaster management department, and other agencies more effective. Guardian Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has expressed confidence that this decision will be extremely important in preparing a long-term and modern emergency plan for the country's financial capital like Mumbai.