Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Forget the metro or the latest speed giants roaring across Indian roads. Come Saturday (February 1) and India’s financial capital will be rolling out the country’s first-ever <keyword id="64918" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Monorail">monorail</keyword>, connecting the central suburb of <keyword id="157686" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala">Wadala</keyword> to <keyword id="6366202" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chembur">Chembur</keyword> on the eastern outskirts of Mumbai and covering a distance of 8.93 km across seven stations in about 21 minutes. Currently, it takes around 40 minutes to cover this stretch. 
 <keyword id="81878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-monorail">Mumbai monorail</keyword> will be formally inaugurated by <keyword id="26806" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maharashtra-Chief-Minister">Maharashtra Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6356262" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prithviraj-Chavan">Prithviraj Chavan</keyword> on Saturday afternoon and the commute will be open for the masses from Sunday onwards. The two-phase project costs around Rs 3,000 crore and the second phase linking Wadala to <keyword id="2039948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sant-Gadge-Maharaj-Chowk">Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk</keyword> (popularly known as <keyword id="2039952" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saath-Rasta">Saath Rasta</keyword> and originally called <keyword id="2039957" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jacobs-Circle">Jacob’s Circle</keyword>) in south Mumbai will be operational within a year. 
 As of now, tickets are priced between Rs 5 and Rs 11 and a <keyword id="359126" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="smart-card-system">smart card system</keyword> is already in place, but there will be no <keyword id="2039963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Season-pass">season pass</keyword>. The seven stations on the Phase-I route include Chembur, <keyword id="2039964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="VN-Purav/RC-Marg-Junction">VN Purav/RC Marg Junction</keyword>, <keyword id="2039965" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fertilizer-Township">Fertilizer Township</keyword>, <keyword id="75662" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum">Bharat Petroleum</keyword>, <keyword id="1351055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mysore-Colony">Mysore Colony</keyword>, <keyword id="683956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhakti-Park">Bhakti Park</keyword> and <keyword id="6537145" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala-Depot">Wadala Depot</keyword>. When the entire corridor starts working, tickets will cost Rs 5-19, across a total of 19 stations. 
 The monorail project has been executed by engineering major <keyword id="45475" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Larsen-Toubro">Larsen &amp; Toubro</keyword> and Malaysian firm <keyword id="1563400" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Scomi-Engineering">Scomi Engineering</keyword>. It is owned and operated by <keyword id="64095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-Metropolitan-Region-Development-Authority">Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority</keyword> (<keyword id="48470" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MMRDA">MMRDA</keyword>), which has already spent Rs 1,900 crore on both the phases. The civil work on the second phase has been completed as well. 
 Construction for the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle (Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk) route – a total distance of 19.17 km – started back in 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in April 2011. But the project got delayed for more than 2.5 years and only the <keyword id="2039976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala-Chembur">Wadala-Chembur</keyword> section could be completed in the first phase. With the entire stretch becoming operational, it will be the <keyword id="2039979" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Worlds-second-longest-monorail">world’s second longest monorail</keyword> corridor, after <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword>’s Osaka Monorail (23.8 km). Apart from Japan, other countries running monorails include <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>, <keyword id="8695" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Malaysia">Malaysia</keyword>, the <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="US">US</keyword>, <keyword id="87" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Germany">Germany</keyword> and <keyword id="6355478" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Australia">Australia</keyword>. 
 
Mumbai monorail is going to be a colourful affair, flaunting green, pink and blue. It will be able to peak to 80 km/hour while the average speed has been set at 65 km/hour. Initially, six trains will run from 7 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon. But from March onwards, it will function 19 hours a day and the train frequency will improve as well – from 15 minutes to nine and finally to three-four minutes. As of now, each train has 4 air-conditioned coaches and can carry as many as 560 passengers. After the second phase is commissioned, there will be 10 more trains with six coaches each and a total of 19 stations. 
 But will the monorail be an essential part of our daily commute once the novelty wears off? It is bound to bring some much-needed relief to Mumbaikars, struggling to cope with traffic snarls on a daily basis. But to make the good work really effective, the second phase should be completed at the earliest. One also wonders if the authorities will consider starting a <keyword id="2039974" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Second-monorail-project">second monorail project</keyword> in and around Mumbai as was originally planned. Experts feel that the need for an expanded monorail corridor may arise after all the proposed metro rail routes are commissioned and there is further requirement for a seamless <keyword id="457467" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="feeder-service">feeder service</keyword>. And when that happens, the people of Mumbai are bound to have a completely hassle-free commute.

Mumbai Monorail Is
Now On Track; To Run From Feb 1

Ever experienced a scenic flight <keyword id="2073446" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="On-board-a-seaplane">on board a seaplane</keyword>? No, you don’t have to shell out a fortune any more to charter a private seaplane and go flying. From today (February 24), <keyword id="1703859" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="commercial-seaplane-service">commercial seaplane service</keyword> is starting in Mumbai for the first time. And that’s another feather in the cap of the financial capital after the city rolled out the country’s first-ever <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Mumbai-Monorail-IsNow-On-Track-To-Run-From-Feb-1/articleshow/29663991.cms">monorail</a> on February 1. 
 Initially, the <keyword id="509938" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="seaplane-service">seaplane service</keyword> is connecting Mumbai to <keyword id="2073466" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aamby-Valley-hill-station">Aamby Valley hill station</keyword> in <keyword id="6378734" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lonavala">Lonavala</keyword> – a 100 km stretch – and the flight will take just 25-28 minutes or one-fourth of the time taken by a road trip. As of now, there will be just one flight a day and you only get a <keyword id="2073454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Four-seater-Cessna-206">four-seater Cessna 206</keyword> amphibian. But the <keyword id="1429804" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="seaplane-services">seaplane services</keyword> will be scaled up if there is enough response. The flights will be operated by Mumbai-based <keyword id="1392953" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Maritime-Energy-Heli-Air-Services">Maritime Energy Heli Air Services</keyword> (<keyword id="779896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MEHAIR">MEHAIR</keyword>) and a <keyword id="2073455" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="nine-seater-Cessna-208">nine-seater Cessna 208</keyword> amphibian will be deployed if the demand rises. 
 While a seaplane is capable of taking off or landing on water, without an airstrip, there is another variety that can also take off from regular airfields on land. <keyword id="1645279" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="test-flights">Test flights</keyword> for the current stretch took place in December last year and the amphibians landed and took off from the <keyword id="2073458" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aamby-Valley-Lake">Aamby Valley Lake</keyword>. 
 
In June last year, Kerala launched the country’s first tourist seaplane service that connects the distant backwater destinations. Similar services are also available in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 
 Mumbaikars, however, will have to wait some more for the intracity seaplane flights from Juhu to Girgaum Chowpatty. The <keyword id="190329" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Maharashtra-Tourism-Development-Corporation">Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation</keyword> (<keyword id="111420" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MTDC">MTDC</keyword>), along with MEHAIR, had planned it nearly two years ago. But the project got delayed as it was awaiting crucial clearances from several authorities. It has finally got the nod from the <keyword id="6369097" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Defence">Ministry of Defence</keyword> and has also obtained clearances from key agencies including the <keyword id="56306" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Coast-Guard">Coast Guard</keyword>, the <keyword id="42407" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Navy">Navy</keyword>, <keyword id="11098" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="police">police</keyword>, the <keyword id="170906" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="urban-development-department">urban development department</keyword>, <keyword id="48434" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BMC">BMC</keyword>, <keyword id="136514" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-Port-Trust">Mumbai Port Trust</keyword>, the <keyword id="6356826" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="environment">environment</keyword> department and the <keyword id="54875" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Airports-Authority-of-India">Airports Authority of India</keyword>. 
 But to implement this project, MTDC will require to build a <keyword id="2073482" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Floating-jetty">floating jetty</keyword> for ferrying passengers to and fro. It has already earmarked some 5,000 sq km, about 100-200m into the sea and next to H2O, the privately operated water <keyword id="6356028" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sports">sports</keyword> complex. However, a High Court-appointed committee will have to give the go-ahead first before the <keyword id="2073483" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-City-Collectors-office">Mumbai City Collector’s office</keyword> can grant the land near the city’s coast. 
 
Once the last leg of the project is cleared and the seaplane service is launched, the hour-long commute will come down to 5-7 minutes for a one-way fare of Rs 750-1,000. 
 MTDC and MEHAIR are also planning to operate several other routes with no air connectivity. In fact, MTDC has already started working with the irrigation ministry to identify suitable water bodies like dams, lakes and rivers for starting seaplane services across the state. The upcoming destinations could be Lonavala, <keyword id="64488" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahabaleshwar">Mahabaleshwar</keyword>, <keyword id="46028" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Panchgani">Panchgani</keyword>, <keyword id="143186" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shirdi">Shirdi</keyword>, <keyword id="2073489" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shani-Singnapur">Shani-Singnapur</keyword> and <keyword id="680155" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Trimbakeshwar">Trimbakeshwar</keyword> – most of them are either popular <keyword id="476562" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="tourist-attractions">tourist attractions</keyword> or noted <keyword id="680154" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="pilgrimage-sites">pilgrimage sites</keyword>. So fasten your seatbelt and be ready – these amphibians are all set to take you on a discovery flight of a lifetime – over land and water. 
 
With input from Agencies. 
Image: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images

After Monorail,
Mumbai Gets Commercial Seaplane Service; Now Fly To Aamby Valley
Under 30 Minutes

<ul><li>India’s financial capital has richest civic body in the country that is ridden with corruption and inefficiencies. </li><li>The budget for Mumbai’s municipal corporation has increased 5 times in the last 12 years. </li><li>Yet, the creaky infrastructure brings the mega city to a grinding halt every monsoon.</li></ul>The <keyword id="33109" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joker">Joker</keyword> was Gotham’s ‘agent of chaos’ and for Mumbai, it’s the civic body-- the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is responsible for its infrastructure. That includes roads, sewage, storm water drainage, bridges, water supply, licenses for commercial activity, schools and hospitals. “Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!” the Joker said in 2009 blockbuster, The Dark Knight. In Mumbai, corruption and inefficiencies of the city’s civic body unleash misery and puts millions of lives at risk, at random. Watch: A Jaguar gets stranded in a Mumbai floods while a Mahindra Bolero wades through 
 
 
 
 <div type="Youtube" id="UaNcpuDIEzM" title="Mahindra Bolero pick-up overtakes stuck Jaguar in flooded road" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UaNcpuDIEzM/mqdefault.jpg"></div>







 Just like the hopeless people of Gotham, every monsoon, Mumbaikars prepare for the eventuality that they may not return home as they leave for work. On Wednesday (September 5), the civic body magnanimously advised schools to stay shut due to incessant rains-- at 10 am. Watch: Stranded students being rescued by civilians 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="mybmc" handlename="माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3281764595/0a984bb8488fcd5307a6ccfe5f918287_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="1527" retweetcount="438" status="In wake of IMD’s warning of heavy rainfall for the rest of the day too, the schools shall remain closed today. The… https://t.co/sd7U5QQOhl" createdat="1567570920000" id="1169103292632186881"></div>







 By then children had already left for school and, unsurprisingly, found themselves stranded. In some cases, they were able to get back home as late as 7 pm. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="TamannaInamdar" handlename="Tamanna Inamdar" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1140458161800806400/jHsXf1eW_normal.jpg" favoritecount="38" retweetcount="6" status="Finally got her home at 7 pm. Nearly six hours after my child boarded her school bus and after a harrowing 'rescue'… https://t.co/K4Zea2fewx" createdat="1567605078000" id="1169246560745484288"></div>







 Money that would put a smile on any face The mega city’s generous 24 million population has accepted the civic body’s indifference as its fate. This, even after contributing ₹30,000 crore ($4.2 billion) this year to the municipal budget. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s budget has swelled nearly five times in the last 12 years but the plight of its people has only gotten worse. Even by the standards of commercial capitals in developing countries, Mumbai is a mess. Behind the veneer of its entrepreneurial spirit and a professional workforce, lies a city that has been plundered by the ruling elite at an unprecedented scale. Mumbai’s civic body is flushing billions down the drain Meanwhile, the cats at the BMC (which has 1.2 lakh personnel) are getting fatter every year. For instance, documents show that its Chief Engineer AS Yamgar of the Sewerage Operation Department made a monthly salary of ₹1,24,725 as of June 2018. This is nearly as much as <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/business/budget-2018-increases-salary-of-president-by-200-to-rs-5-lakh-per-month-1647855.html">the salary of the President of India before the hike last year</a>, or that of a mid-level corporate employee. However, for the BMC leadership and staff, the money seems to come without accountability. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="surajojhaa" handlename="Suraj Ojha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1164059122280456192/Jwi4E8aL_normal.jpg" favoritecount="31" retweetcount="26" status="#MumbaiRainsLive Mithi river over flowing @mid_day @RidlrMUM @patel_bhupen #RainyDay #SafetyFirst #MumbaiTraffic https://t.co/670zkW9Zi1" createdat="1567581422000" id="1169147340135026688"></div>







 And the rot runs deep. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/mumbai-bmc-driver-makes-more-money-than-commissioner-216408-2013-11-04">An India Today story in 2013</a> exposed how a driver earns more than the municipal Commissioner he serves. He simply slept in the vehicle after being relieved of his duties and got paid for working overtime. Shiv Sena, the party ruled by the Thackeray family, controlled the corporation for most part of the last three decades. Therefore, the blame for the shortcomings of the civic body squarely falls on them. The poor quality of the pothole-ridden roads of Mumbai reveal the enormity of misused funds. People tend to believe without question when it is informally said that less than 20% of the money is actually used in the infrastructure projects, and the rest is siphoned off. The passivity of the voters can be disheartening. Almost 81% of the total of 1,491 kilometres of roads in the city are managed by the BMC. But, the four best-managed roads in the city – Bandra Worli SeaLink, New Airport Road, Eastern Freeway and Bandra Kurla Complex-- are under the supervision of Mumbai Metropolitan Road Development Authority (MMRDA), which is also in charge of the metro rail construction that is currently underway. The MMRDA is not without flaws as exposed by <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/mumbai-monorail-a-trip-to-nowhere/article29273282.ece">the colossal failure of the recent monorail project</a>. Yet, it has been slightly more efficient than the BMC in some cases. The devastating floods of 2005 that killed over a 1,000 people should have been a wake up call. At that stage, an honest leadership would have been embarrassed enough to pull themselves into action and resurrect the city to avoid a similar carnage in the future. Since then, there have been five Chief Ministers -- Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan, and now, Devendra Fadnavis-- but the people’s plight has got worse with every passing monsoon. One may expect the authorities to prepare and respond better given that an election is scheduled this year. However, the choice for the voters is between the devil and the deep sea as both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) outfits have failed the people of the city over the years. In Mumbai, “<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/393220611192996582/?nic=1">there are no heroes here, only survivors.</a>” 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="Ketul1Indian" handlename="ketulkumar" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/864159255225610240/_A7uwK2n_normal.jpg" favoritecount="6" retweetcount="2" status="👏👏🙏🙏 to all the good Samaritans who helped these kids yesterday. #MumbaiRains https://t.co/SjyFS8ugQK" createdat="1567658862000" id="1169472148504596480"></div>







 Disclaimer: Vishal Bhargava is a contributor to Business Insider. He has donned several hats in India's financial sector-- from investment banking to financial research to business development-- before becoming an entrepreneur. The opinions are solely reflect the views of the author and not of the publication.

If Mumbai is Gotham, the civic body would be the Joker

Ever since <keyword id="117023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-metro">Mumbai Metro</keyword> has been inaugurated, there have been several instances of people not swiping their smart cards or tokens when entering the station or travelling without paying the fare. 
 At crowded places like <keyword id="5490" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Versova">Versova</keyword>, <keyword id="5035" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Andheri">Andheri</keyword> and <keyword id="6354719" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ghatkopar">Ghatkopar</keyword>, there were instances where other commuters crossed the automated fare collection (AFC) gate after one person swiped his card. The same trick can be used when passing out of the AFC gate. 
 
But if you are not so lucky and get caught travelling without a ticket, you will have to pay a penalty, along with the stipulated fare. The penalty amounts to Rs 50 for the Mumbai Metro and Rs 200 for the monorail – a paltry sum in both cases. 
 
The Mumbai Metro did not have the number of people who had been charged for travelling without tickets or for violating rules.

You Searched For "Mumbai monorail" and got 5 results

Mumbai Monorail Is Now On Track; To Run From Feb 1

Sanghamitra Mandal

After Monorail, Mumbai Gets Commercial Seaplane Service; Now Fly To Aamby Valley Under 30 Minutes

Sanghamitra Mandal

If Mumbai is Gotham, the civic body would be the Joker

Vishal Bhargava

Mumbai Metro Falling Prey To Ticketless Travelling

BI India Bureau

The entire list and a brief profile of 'Delhi ke nirmata'⁠— the makers of Delhi felicitated at Kejriwal's oath taking ceremony

BI India Bureau

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides