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A senior official of the state government told Newsline that while cancelling the bidding process by private players for the construction of the sea link on June 25, the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure had asked the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) if a Metro Rail route was feasible connecting Sewri and Nhava.
“The committee had asked MSRDC to study whether it was feasible to have a Metro Rail on the stretch along with the MTHL. So the MSRDC while preparing the financial model for the project has to work along with this view,” the official said on condition of anonymity. The MSRDC is expected to present its finding to the committee on Wednesday.
Officials working on the feasibility study for the Metro route are not very optimistic about the proposal as it would involve a drastic cost escalation on the already delayed project. Another senior official said: “If the Metro Rail plan is taken up then there will be serious doubts about the very fate of the MTHL. The major issue would be finances, which will easily be in excess of Rs 10,000 crore. To arrange funds, private players would have to be involved at this stage, which could lead to chaos and hamper the progress of the project further.”
originally, a two-line rail link had been proposed in the plan alongside the MTHL, but was later dropped as the government would have to seek environmental clearances afresh from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), which would have delayed the project further. This plan for a rail link is now being revived since a Metro rail does not require MoEF clearances.
Meanwhile, the presentation of the financial model through which the sea link is to be built, now through government funding, will also be presented on Wednesday.
The official added that Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has expressed interest in the MTHL being built with eight lanes. “He (Deshmukh) has also made it clear that even if the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority owns the MTHL, the MSRDC will remain the implementing agency for the project,” the official said.
The Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure had earlier approved the decision to construct the 22-km Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) through state government funding instead of through a public private partnership (PPP). The committee also proposed to extend the bridge’s width from six lanes to eight. The project is estimated to cost Rs 7,500 crore, without a Metro Rail link alongside.
Dear Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, You people are champion in paper work. Let us keep aside this project for the movement. What has happen to the following projects.1) Vikhroli-Jogeshari Link Road. ( 5 years behind the Schedule )2) Bandra-Worli Sea link ( 5 years behind the Schedule )3 Santacruz - Chembur link Road ( 5 years behind the Schedule )4 4rth
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