36-km Coastal Road Stars in CM's Infra Bouquet for Mumbai

In a major fillip to Mumbai’s infra plans, the state government has decided to proceed with the construction of a 36 km coastal road connecting the southern tip of the city to the far-flung northern suburbs.

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the INR 10,000 cr project, expected to be completed in a span of two years, will also include 10 kms of new roads on an estimated 70 hectares of reclaimed land and twin 3.5km undersea tunnels.

The decision effectively reverses the state’s no-reclamation rule, a policy decision taken some 37 years ago in 1978, attracting opposition from some quarters.


However government and environment department officials were quick to point out that this relaxation, which is expected to be approved in the next three months, will only apply for the coastal road project and not for real estate projects in general.

As per the initial plans, the proposed road will begin from the Manora Guest House, near Mantralaya and proceed via a tunnel to be built between the NCPA and Air India building.   It will include elevated roads and feature approx 18 exit and entry points.  
 
In accordance with the Environment Ministry’s guidelines, the road will not breach the high tide line and will be well within the stipulated 300-400 metres of the coastline. Ports, jetties and elevated roads are presently allowed between the high and low tide lines.

Providing major relief to Mumbaikars from the woes of commuting, the project on completion is expected to cut down the stress of the estimated two-hour north-south commute and vice-versa to just about 30 minutes, signaling the end of the nightmarish traffic jams and road hazards faced by commuters especially during peak hours.   

The CM added that with an estimated 60 percent of the city’s traffic clogging the arterial Western express highway, the project would help reduce the congestion to a great extent.

To ensure its feasibility as a mass transportation project, the government also plans to integrate the coastal road with the Bandra-Worli sea link and execute a new Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) to improve connectivity.

According to reports, the coastal road is expected to be approx 120-feet wide and will include about 24 connectors from the main land, enabling drivers using it to achieve speeds of roughly 80km per hour. BMC sources reveal that a double layered bridge at Haji Ali, on the lines of the Santacruz-Chembur Link road, also forms part of the project.

Expectedly the news of this ambitious infra project has raised a storm among conservationists. In a series of meetings held with senior BMC officials on the issue, experts argued that the project would only add to the congestion on the city’s roads, destroy the visual appeal of the city and pose an added risk to the fragile mangroves found along the Mumbai shoreline.

The experts urged the BMC officials to focus instead on improving the city’s public transport system instead and initiate checks to control the growing number of vehicles entering the city. They further alleged that more attention was being given to develop infra facilities in the Western suburbs, while scant attention was being paid to the development of the Eastern parts of the city.

Undeterred by the criticism, the chief minister has also promised to speed up a clutch of other long-delayed infra projects for Mumbai.


A list that includes key projects like:

* A 2019 deadline for the completion of the INR 14,000cr Navi Mumbai International Airport project being executed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).


* The 22-km long Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour link. The INR 11,000cr project that is presently being considered for financing by the Japan International Cooperation Agency is also likely to be executed on a cash-contract model.  On completion, this project will provide a direct access to the international airport for residents of south Mumbai.

* The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has announced the creation of three more metro corridors in the city over the next seven years.
* The MMRDA has already announced bids for the INR 23,135cr Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground Metro in addition to beefing up plans for a second underground Metro on the Dahisar-Bandra-Mankhurd route and a Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavali partially underground line.

* Four flyovers to enable easier access to the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), which will be made operational within a year.

While it remains to be seen, whether the CM is able to keep his promise of boosting infrastructure facilities in Mumbai and ensure timely completion of ongoing projects, the face of the new BJP government at the helm of state affairs has certainly made an impressive beginning. One can only hope, for the sake of every Mumbaikar, that he manages to keeps his word.