While state government officials insist that the two are not contradictory, transport planners point out that a maze of flyovers in the city would only add to the traffic congestion and leave no scope for demand management as envisaged under the World Bank project. Under the MUTP-II, private vehicles were to be discouraged by charging high parking fees and cordon pricing whereby cars were to be fined for entering a central business district after a certain time.

The flyovers, on the otherhand, says planners, depend on private vehicles since their cost of construction is to be recovered through a toll. ``Yes, the WB officials asked questions,'' said K Nalinakshan, principal secretary,urban development department, ``but they have also said they will not interfere.''

``It's a matter of perception, whether the two projects are contradictory or complimentary,'' he added. And in order to make it complimentary, some of the non-rail components in the MUTP-II might have to be changed. ``For example, the Area Traffic Control Scheme (where the signalling is to be made synchronous with the traffic at the junction) will have to restricted to junctions where there are no flyovers,'' said additional CP (traffic) S P S Yadav, while asserting that the flyovers were being constructed keeping in mind the MRTP.

But planners who have been working on the MUTP-II, are not so confident. Neither are they sure of the World Bank Loan being sanctioned. ``The WB does not function as a money lender where all it is concerned about is its money and its interest. It will definitely ask questions about the Urban Transport Management Strategy for the city,'' said a planner.

However, BMC traffic engineers appearenthusiastic about the flyover projects. ``It is better than the long pending and long delayed MUTP-II. At least with the flyovers, traffic will be able to move faster,'' remarked an official reflecting popular opinion.

Yet, at the core of all this is the state government's ability to repay the loan. With the state's treasuries empty, industries moving out of the city and the MSRDC not sure of recovering the money spent on flyovers, can the city afford a Rs 6,000-crore MUTP-II project (where Rs 1,700 crore is earmarked for non rail projects) in addition to the Rs 1,200-crore flyover project?

``If there were unlimited resources, we would be better placed. But with limited resources, how do we put our case across,'' a planner despaired.