Cidco now wants Navi Mumbai to ride Metro only

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), which is responsible for the infrastructure development of Navi Mumbai, is working on the lines of constructing a Metro on all future transport corridors instead of the suburban rail.GS Gill, vice-chairman and managing director of Cidco, is optimistic about running Metro in Navi Mumbai. “Cidco does not have huge investments and the only revenue generating source is land. Therefore, the PPP model seems suitable for us. We are also looking at international finance companies like Japanese Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) for funding the metro model,” he said.Explaining the shift from the earlier plan to construct suburban rail network, Gill said, “We are seriously thinking of a shift from suburban railway. Metro will not require much effort in construction looking at a planned city such as Navi Mumbai.Moreover, the right of way (area of operation) for Metro is just 9 to 12 metres as compared to suburban trains which require 60 metres. The service facilities required for metro can be accommodated in 16-18 hectares instead of 60 hectares needed for suburban trains. All these reasons have prompted the change.”There are seven corridors in Navi Mumbai, which have been identified for development of infrastructure. Out of these, three are already in operation on suburban rail. “If the feasibility report of running a metro on the rest gets a clearance, we should see metro running in Navi Mumbai as well,” said Gill.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which is doing a feasibility study for a proposed metro in Navi Mumbai, may submit its report by December 2008. The proposed Navi Mumbai metro may run on a PPP model.