Mumbai to Goa in 6 hours: A new highway on cards ATM restrictions may soon be eased

After mooting a ‘super communication’ Expressway between Mumbai and Nagpur, the state government is now exploring the possibility of a green-field expressway between Mumbai and Goa. If the project materialises, motorists can zip through the expressway in five to six hours.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has asked it to take up the project. “NHAI had asked MSRDC if we can implement the expressway between Mumbai and Goa and we have sent them our affirmation. We will carry out the feasibility study,” PWD (public undertaking) minister Eknath Shinde told HT.

The NHAI has already begun widening the national highway between Mumbai and Goa. The busy NH-66 (previously NH-17) is a two-lane road making it accident-prone and hence the need to widen it into four lanes. Apart from this, the state government has also planned a coastal road to develop the Konkan belt and to reduce the distance between Mumbai and Goa. Better connectivity via an expressway like the one that connects Mumbai and Pune would give a boost to development in the Konkan belt.

Cash supply to ATMs was expected to normalise by month-end and the Reserve Bank of India, which was monitoring the situation, could ease withdrawal restrictions, sources said.

ATMs were getting around ` 9,000 crore a day against `2-3,000 crore in the early days of demonetisation, sources in banking sector said. “The cash situation has improved. The RBI is monitoring [situation] closely and a decision on withdrawal limits will be taken keeping in mind all parameters,” a government official, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Prior to November 8, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced scrapping of `500 and `1,000 banknotes, around `13,000 crore was fed daily into the country’s 220,000 ATMs.

Though cash situation is better, queues can still be seen outside several ATM kiosks, primarily due to withdrawal restrictions — `4,500 per day and `24,000 a week.

“Same set of people are queuing up daily due to withdrawal restrictions and therefore the rush at ATMs is still continuing, especially in the metros,” a private bank official said.

Compared to 125 daily transactions before November 8, an ATM was now recording 300 footfalls a day, sources said. But, it was an improvement on 800 a day in the months of November and December.