<span style="color: #222222;">The first of its kind, water taxi service linking Mumbai and Navi Mumbai was inaugurated today by Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The water taxi will ply between Domestic Cruise Terminal in South Mumbai and the newly inaugurated Belapur Jetty in Navi Mumbai, reducing the travel time to just 45 minutes, a good fifty percent less than the current time taken via roadways. The water taxi service has been launched with seven-speed boats with a capacity of 10 to 30 passengers each and a Catamaran boat with a capacity of 56 passengers. While the ticket for one-way travel by catamaran will cost 250 rupees, the cost of travel by speed boat will be from 825-1210 rupees.  <br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports that Connecting the twin cities of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the water taxi service will allow a comfortable and eco-friendly mode of transport from the Domestic Cruise Terminal in South Mumbai to Belapur and from thereon to JNPT and Elephanta Islands. The route is expected to be extended to Vashi, Airoli, Mandwa, Karanja, Thane, and Kanhoji Angre Island among others. <br />''<br />''Addressing the inaugural function, Mr. Sonowal lauded the Mumbai Maritime Board along with state agencies for the construction of state-of-the-art Belapur Jetty under the Sagarmala project. He said the taxi service will not only boost tourism but also open employment opportunities. Stating that Maharashtra coast has a huge potential for pioneering urban water transport, Mr. Sonowal further informed that about 131 projects worth 1.05 lakh crore rupees have been identified for implementation under the Sagarmala project. These include projects related to port modernization, rail, road, and cruise tourism, developing passenger jetties and fishing harbours, building coastal infrastructure, and skill development. Also attending the event via video conferencing, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray thanked the Centre for its support; adding that the water taxi service will give a fillip to the tourism sector, besides spurring the local economy. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that water transport can prove to be an efficient and safe mode of transport in the future.</span><br />