Even as the two authorities battle it out over grouting the INS Vikrant, the state government today accused MbPT of taking an ``unreasonable position'' on the Trans-Harbour Link, an ambitious project to link the island city to the mainland across the creek. The project envisages an eight-lane bridge between Sewri and Nhava over the sea.

The managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), R C Sinha, today held the MbPT responsible for the unnecessary delay in implementing the project, which is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the city. The total length of the bridge will be 25 km, including the traffic dispersal flyovers at the Mumbai end and road links to the Mumbai-Goa highway, Mumbai-Pune Highway and to the proposed Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Sinha said the proposed alignment was approved by various concerned authorities, including the MbPT,in 1984. Accordingly, the MSRTC had kicked off the task of detailing the nuances of the project. It had also submitted a detailed report to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for final clearance. However, the MbPT has now asked for changes in the alignment of the bridge and traffic dispersal links at the Navi Mumbai end in order to salvage the old Pir Pau jetty.

Sinha claimed that the MbPT's demand was unjust, given the fact that the new Pir Pau jetty had already been commissioned. The MbPT's stand on the issue had ominous implications for the project, he said, which had already been approved by the Union government pending environmental clearance. He said the alignment suggested by MbPT would require 600 meters span at two places and 45 meters clearance above high tide level. There would be a perpetual danger of large ships drifting and hitting the bridge pier. The MbPT alignment would also make the rail link near impossible and escalate the total cost of the project by Rs 600 crore, he added.He also pointed out that the old Pir Pau jetty approach channel would violate the security zone of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Sinha said in the larger interest, the approved alignment should be adhered to by all authorities. He offered all support for further development of the new Pir Pau jetty in a bid to win over the MbPT's support.

He said any further delay would only result in cost escalation. The project cost was just Rs 1,200 crore when conceived, but today, it is estimated at Rs 3,700 crore. If the rate of inflation and interest during construction was taken into account, the total cost would go up to Rs 5,300 crore.

However, MbPT chairperson Rajiv Sinha said the state government itself was violating an earlier undertaking given to the centre at the time of building the port at Nhava-Sheva. ``The state government had stated that it would not insist on a trans-harbour link.'' ``The port would not like its existing and future development potential to be compromised on account of theTrans-Harbour Link,'' he said. While adding that the port was not against the project, he stated that the MbPT had stated that technical solutions needed to be found to the problem.