Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu in Maharashtra’s Mumbai on Friday. It is the longest bridge in India and also the longest sea bridge in the country that will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport.

The bridge will also reduce the travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India and has been built at a cost of Rs 21,200 crore. The six-lane trans-harbour bridge is 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km long sea-link. . It will also improve connectivity between the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

Meanwhile, a 500-bed makeshift hospital was set up in Raigad district’s Ulwe given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the financial capital which is expected to draw lakhs of attendees. The setting up of the makeshift hospital came in view of the tragedy that occurred last year at an award ceremony in which 13 people suffered heat stroke and lost their lives.

Besides 500 regular beds, the Raigad administration has also made available 50 intensive care unit beds in the makeshift hospital to ensure the successful completion of the Prime Minister’s visit without any unfortunate incident. In addition to this, the local administration will deploy 50 ambulances, including a few cardiac ambulances, for tackling medical emergencies, Raigad collector Yogesh Mhase informed.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Mumbai also granted a rare sight to the Colaba residents as no hawker was seen on the streets. The hawker-free footpaths in the overly crowded Colaba shocked the residents. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cleared the hawkers from the streets as PM Modi’s convoy will pass through the stretch as he will move to inaugurate the 21.8 km sea link in the island city.

He also laid the foundation stone of an underground road tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway in eastern Mumbai to Marine Drive in south Mumbai, on Friday.

The 9.2 km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than Rs 8700 crore.