MMRDA's Metro Rail Project finally gets underway

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) highly ambitious and much-awaited Mumbai Metro Rail Project that was passed almost two years ago with an allocation of Rs. 468-crore sum, but could not be started at the scheduled time, at last got the green signal. The project finally got underway on Sunday after almost 20 months later since the approval of the proposal.

MMRDA has allocated huge sum of money for some ambitious projects including an allocation of Rs. 700 crore for Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), Rs 1,250 crore for Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP) and Rs 500 crore for developing four Monorail corridors in the presented budget of Rs. 6,643 crore for the next fiscal.

This development budget has focussed to implement a series of infrastructure projects in the city especially flyovers and metro and monorail projects to handle the increasing pressure of the vehicles and commuters in the city.

Mumbai metro rail project is the dream project for the Mumbaikars, which is likely to come true after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for 12.4 km long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor on June 2006, but the duration between June 2006 to February 2008 was vacuumed due to several obstacles came in project’s way.

The initialisation of this project got delayed due to those obstacles as per MMRDA and Anil Ambani led Reliance Energy (the companies who are liable for developing this joint venture) reported in response of not beginning the project at the right time that was scheduled on October 2006.

This unwanted delayed has created various complexions in which the estimated cost of the project has been hiked from proposed Rs.1500-crore to Rs.2, 356 crore. Several confusions have also been developed during this period.

Within this period Maharashtra government invited second phase of bids and after completion the process it reached at the conclusion that the state agencies without taking the help of any private firm would develop this project.

For this, Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, the chief of this project had set the meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on March 07 to discuss over the issue of ‘How Delhi Metro Rail Project has developed a world class metro rail?’ and currently it is running successfully in the city.

It is known that E Sreedharan is the person, who has been the chief of Delhi and Konkan Rail project that is functioning successfully in both the places.

According to E Sreedharan, “These kinds of infrastructure need heavy investment … and state agencies would have to come ahead to fill the gap funding funded from central government.”

Besides, Metro rail project, MMRDA is also planning to begin monorail for providing more conventions to commuters. For developing four monorail corridors MMRDA has already allocated Rs.500 crore.

Under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), MMRDA has proposed to make skywalks in 20 railway stations, improving facilities outside suburban railway stations under proposed scheme of Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (initially a sub-component of MUTP but later to de-link), a direct link between the two main rail corridors (Western and Central Railways) and a new Bandra-Kurla rail link to provide easy access to the International Finance and Business Centre (IFBC).

The state government has sanctioned Rs. 431-crore for the development of rail facilities and Rs. 265-crore for roads. The first phase of the mega project is likely to complete by the end of 2009.

Under city infrastructure development project MMRDA has proposed the allocation of Rs.1,250-crore for Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP) in which government is planning to develop 16 flyovers, repairing Mithi River project, a land bank near Bandra- Kurla and low cost houses for the poors by the allocation of Rs.100crore .

The migrants and poors can live in this newly planned housing on rent.

The 16 proposed flyovers would be constructed in western suburbs at the Airport junction, Dindoshi junction, Times of India junction and Thakur Complex on Western Express Highway, SV Road at the junction of Barfiwala lane while on the Eastern Express Highway, it will be developed at Gokhale Road ROB and Suman Nagar junction and Navghar junction and on Dr Ambedkar Road that is on King Circle junction.

For fulfilling these projects, MMRDA has also presented the source of revenue income of Rs. 6,144 crore through several means that includes Rs.3, 910 crore from proposed selling of lands in Bandra-Kurla Complex, a loan amount from World bank for fulfilling MUTP project and approximately Rs.503 crores as loan recovery from seven municipal corporations and 13 municipal councils which come under MMR.

A sum of Rs 60-crore grant would come under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rs 50 crore as contribution of MCGM and Railways towards Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS) and Rs.721 crore would gather through other revenue sources for the implementation of the said projects.