MUMBAI, May 9: A domestic airport, an international exhibition centre, shopping complexes at railway stations, water transport terminals, amusement parks and golf courses - if these ambitious projects, part of state government's `Advantage Maharashtra' programme, materialise, Navi Mumbai residents may soon witness a radical metamorphosis in the topography of this satellite township.

CIDCO is presently holding pre-qualification meetings with developers for 12 such projects, worth Rs 5,800 crore.

``A total of 220 applications have already been sold, of which 38 are for an airport, 36 for an international exhibition centre and 18 to 20 for the development of railway stations,'' says R K Jha, chief transport planner of CIDCO.

The list of proposals include railway stations-cum-shopping complexes at Turbhe and Kharghar, a large supermarket-cum-railway station at Seawoods (railway lines have already been laid here), two NRI housing complexes at Ulwe and Seawoods and golf courses at Nerul and Dapoli.

However, developers fear these ambitious plans may remain on paper. They are sceptical of the projections on investment returns. For the railway project for instance, CIDCO has stipulated that bidders will have to sell available commercial spaces in the railways and then hand them over to the authorities. ``Is it easy to sell 7 lakh sq feet of commercial space in each of these railway stations when CIDCO itself has managed to sell only a part of the commercial space available at Vashi and Belapur railway stations?'' questioned a developer.

Jha denies this. ``Of the total area of 14 lakh sq ft, we have been able to sell four lakh sq ft at Nerul, Vashi and Belapur, and we will soon be selling off the rest,'' he stated.

Developers also caution that a large number of shopping complexes in each station may lead to saturation. ``What is the guarantee that there will be no shopping complex outside the railway station competing with mine?'' the developer asked.

Quoting from feasibility studies undertaken before offering these projects, Jha said the population of Navi Mumbai in the year 2003 will be two million. ``A population of two million will throw up job opportunities for eight lakh people. "We have provided for three lakh jobs, and now have to accommodate five lakh more,'' he said.

Calculating in terms of area, if one job requires 100 sq ft, 500 lakh sq ft will have to be earmarked for this, he said. ``The corporate offices of companies will be in the central business district of Belapur, with branch offices in other station areas.'' The senior CIDCO official also claimed that every neighbourhood in Navi Mumbai would have its own shopping centre.

Projects worth Rs 5,800 cr. offered for bids by CIDCO in Navi Mumbai

* Construction of railway stations-cum-shopping complexes in Turbhe and Kharghar.

* A large supermarket-cum-railway station in Seawoods.

* Two projects for housing complexes for non-resident Indians in Ulwe and Seawoods.

* Golf courses in Nerul and Dapoli.

* A separate project for an amusement park in Dapoli.n A domestic airport at Panvel.

* An international exhibition centre near the airport.

* A water transport terminal at Nerul along with a project for the construction of an international convention centre.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.