India’s longest bridge 21.8 km ‘Atal Setu’ inaugurated. Here’s what’s allowed and what’s not

News Network
January 12, 2024

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu today. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link has been built at a cost of ₹ 17,840 crore and is the longest sea bridge in the country.

In December 2016, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the bridge. Marking the historic milestone in India's infrastructure development, the name Atal Setu also honours the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Atal Setu is a 21.8-kilometre-long bridge that connects Sewri in Mumbai and the Nhava Sheva area in Raigad district.

The 6-lane bridge has a 16.5 km stretch over the sea and about 5.5 km on land. The conceptualisation of this bridge was made six decades ago with the aim of connecting Mumbai's Sewri to Raigad's Chirle.

With the help of the country's longest bridge, the journey between the two locations will be shortened from the current two hours to around 15-20 minutes.

What's allowed

The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will be 100 kmph.

The maximum speed limit for vehicles like cars, taxis, light motor vehicles, minibuses and two-axle buses is 100 kilometres per hour.

On the ascent and descent of the bridge, the speed will be restricted to 40 kilometres per hour.

What's not allowed

The police, on Wednesday, informed that motorbikes, auto rickshaws and tractors won't be allowed on the sea bridge, the police said on Wednesday. There will also be no entry for vehicles like motorcycles, mopeds, three-wheelers, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles.

Multi-axle heavy vehicles, trucks and buses heading towards Mumbai won't have an entry on the Eastern Freeway.

These vehicles will have to take the Mumbai Port-Sewri Exit (Exit 1C) and use the MBPT Road near 'Gadi Adda' for further movement.

An official informed that the Mumbai police have imposed the speed limit on India's longest sea bridge to curb "danger, obstructions and inconvenience to the public.”

Key points 

1.    Building the Atal Setu aims to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.

2.    According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the travel time between Sewri and Chirle will now be reduced from 61 minutes to less than 20 minutes.

3.    It will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

4.    Travellers will be charged ₹250 for a one-way toll for the bridge. The charges for the return journey and frequent commuters will vary.

5.    The toll charge may be revised after a year following a review.

6.    The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers has been kept at 100 km/hour. Two-wheelers, tractors and autorickshaws would not be allowed on the bridge.

7.    Nearly 70,000 vehicles are expected to run across the bridge daily.

8.    The bridge weighs 17 times the weight of the steel used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

9.    Apart from reducing the travel time, the actual potential of the Atal Setu will be unveiled after the completion of projects including the Eastern Freeway-Marine Drive tunnel, Sewri-Worli elevated corridor, Chirle-Palaspe connection with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, as well as the Navi Mumbai international airport.

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Agencies
March 3,2025

An Indian woman sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi for allegedly murdering a four-month-old child was executed on February 15, the Delhi High Court was informed on Monday. The revelation came during a hearing on a petition filed by her father, who was seeking information about her well-being.

Court Calls Execution "Unfortunate"

Justice Sachin Datta, upon learning of the execution, described it as "very unfortunate."

"It is over. She was executed on February 15. Her last rites will be held on March 5," Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court.

Family’s Fight for Information

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel said the family had been desperately seeking clarity on whether she was alive or had been executed.

He mentioned that Shahzadi Khan had called her family from prison on February 14, informing them that she would be executed within a day or two and that it would be her final call. Since then, they had received no updates about her condition.

The Centre’s counsel stated that embassy officials were in touch with the petitioner and were making arrangements for the family to attend her last rites in Abu Dhabi.

"We did our best. We hired a law firm to represent her in court. But the laws there deal with the murder of an infant very severely," he submitted.

Case Background

According to the petition, Shahzadi contacted her father from detention on February 14, 2025, saying she had been moved within the facility and wanted to speak with her parents before her execution.

Her father, Shabbir Khan, a resident of Banda in Uttar Pradesh, filed an application with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on February 21, 2025, seeking official confirmation of whether his daughter had been executed.

Shahzadi had been handed over to Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023. She was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023, and was held at Al Wathba jail.

The petition alleged that Shahzadi did not receive proper legal representation in court and was pressured into confessing, leading to her death sentence.

Events Leading to the Case

Shahzadi traveled to Abu Dhabi in December 2021 on a legal visa. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son, and she was hired as the child’s caregiver.

On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations but tragically passed away that same evening.

The petition claimed that the child’s parents refused to allow a post-mortem and signed an agreement waiving further investigation into the death. However, despite this, Shahzadi was arrested and later sentenced to death.

Her family continues to seek justice and closure following her execution.

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Agencies
March 5,2025

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Bengaluru: Actor Ranya Rao, stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer, was just moments away from clearing airport security at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport when the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) swooped in. What followed was a dramatic bust—gold bars worth ₹12 crore, allegedly being smuggled, were recovered from her and her accomplices.

The 33-year-old actress, who debuted in the 2014 Kannada film Maanikya, had landed in Bengaluru on Monday aboard an Emirates flight from Dubai. According to officials, she was accompanied by two individuals carrying the smuggled gold in briefcases. They had nearly cleared security and were about to exit when DRI officers, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted them and launched a search.

Gold Concealed on Person

A thorough examination led to the discovery of 14.2 kg of gold ingeniously hidden on her person. "The contraband, valued at ₹12.56 crore, was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962," the DRI stated.

More Gold, Cash Found at Her Home

The investigation didn’t stop at the airport. Authorities then searched Ranya Rao’s residence on Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, where she lives with her husband. There, they uncovered additional gold jewelry worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore, bringing the total seizure in the case to ₹17.29 crore.

"The lady passenger has been placed under arrest under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and remanded to judicial custody. This marks a significant blow to organized gold smuggling networks," the DRI statement added.

Frequent Gulf Trips Raised Suspicion

According to reports, Ranya Rao had been making frequent, short trips to Gulf countries, which eventually put her under the DRI’s radar.

Ranya is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer. Her stepfather remarried after his first wife’s death, and Ranya is one of two daughters from her mother’s previous marriage.

With a 14.2 kg gold seizure, this is one of the biggest smuggling busts at Bengaluru airport in recent times, reinforcing the DRI’s crackdown on illicit gold trade.

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coastaldigest.com news network
March 3,2025

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In a significant policy shift, the central government has amended the passport application process, making birth certificates the sole valid proof of date of birth for individuals born on or after October 1, 2023. This move aims to streamline documentation and ensure uniformity in age verification.

Mandatory Birth Certificate for New Applicants

The new rule, announced last week as part of the amended Passport Rules, will take effect after its publication in the official Gazette. As per a notification dated February 24, the Ministry of External Affairs has revised the requirements for submitting proof of date of birth when applying for a passport.

For individuals born on or after October 1, 2023, only birth certificates issued by the Municipal Corporation, the Registrar of Births and Deaths, or any other authorized body under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, will be accepted as valid proof of date of birth.

However, those born before this date can continue to submit alternative documents, including school transfer certificates, matriculation certificates, PAN cards, driving licenses, or extracts from service records.

Changes in Residential Information

To enhance privacy, applicants’ residential addresses will no longer be printed on the final page of passports. Instead, immigration officers will retrieve this information by scanning an embedded barcode.

New Colour-Coded Passports

The government has also introduced a colour-coding system for passports:

  • White passports for government officials
  • Red passports for diplomats
  • Blue passports for ordinary citizens

Parental Information No Longer Required

Another major change is the removal of parents' names from the last page of the passport. This revision is aimed at protecting personal information, particularly for individuals from separated or split families.

Expansion of Passport Seva Kendras

To enhance accessibility, the government plans to increase the number of Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) from 442 to 600 over the next five years. The Department of Posts and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have extended their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate this expansion, ensuring continued passport services at POPSKs.

Officials noted that passport rules regarding date of birth had not been updated for a long time, largely because many rural residents lacked birth certificates. However, with stricter enforcement of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, birth certificates have now become the only recognized proof for those born after October 1, 2023.

These sweeping changes mark a significant update in India’s passport application process, reinforcing security, privacy, and efficiency in document verification.

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